The Story of Lucy & Wyatt
by jennagreenpotter
Summary: Beginning when Lucy and Wyatt meet for the first time in a waiting room in Mason Industries, this story follows their relationship through all the thrilling episodes of Timeless, including all their main interactions and any missing moments from Seasons 1 & 2, and the series finale. Enjoy, Lyatt fans! :)
1. The First Meeting

**The first three chapters will cover Episode 1x01 - I've drawn out this episode longer than I will the others just to establish the characters, dynamics, and basic premise etc. After that, I will focus mainly on the Lyatt interactions for the rest of the episodes, though I welcome any feedback :) hope you enjoy!**

* * *

It had been just an ordinary evening. Professor Lucy Preston had come back home from work at Stanford University, left a Snickers bar at the bedside of her terminally ill mother, attempted to cook dinner while debating her future teaching career with her sister Amy…and then the man had arrived at the door.

She had not been in the best of moods to start with – what with the head of department denying her tenure project earlier that evening, not to mention the fact that her mother had been lying practically unconscious in her bed for the past week – so when the doorbell rang, it came as an unpleasant surprise to see a suited man waiting for her on the doorstep with a stern expression on his face.

'Lucy Preston? I'm Agent Kondo with Homeland Security.'

Lucy sighed irritably, and she began to shut the door. 'Look, whatever you're selling, I'm not buying-'

'Really. Agent Kondo, Homeland Security,' the man repeated calmly, and it took a moment for Lucy to process the official identification badge he was holding up for her approval. 'Miss Preston, you need to come with me.'

The way he said 'need' was urgent, and the look on his face stunned Lucy. For once, she was lost for words. Surreal as it was, she could tell from his badge and his manner that this was not a prank. He was being serious.

'What'd she do?' Amy asked him, panicked, as she opened the door wider to get a look at Agent Kondo for herself.

But Agent Kondo ignored her. 'We need your help,' he said, almost desperately, to Lucy, and he stepped back to gesture a posh black car waiting for them, parked on the side of the road. 'Now, please.'

He gave Lucy a few minutes to gather her things. Amy protested the whole time while she followed her around the house but Lucy would have none of it.

'Some creepy-ass guy comes here to kidnap you and you're just gonna go without knowing what the hell is going on or where he's taking you?' Amy demanded as Lucy grabbed a stash of money from her purse in her bedroom.

'He's not kidnapping me, he's a federal government official,' Lucy said, rolling her eyes.

'He could be a fake.'

'He's not, I can tell.'

'Why are you going ahead with this?' Amy protested, clearly infuriated, as she followed her sister back downstairs. 'Just say no!'

'It's Homeland Security! I can't say no,' Lucy insisted, grabbing her coat from the hook in the hallway. 'Whatever this is, it…it must be important.'

'Why would Homeland Security need a history professor from Stanford?' Amy asked sceptically. 'They're not exactly gonna want a lecture on the suffrage movement, are they?'

Lucy had no answer for this. She didn't know why she was going to go with this man, but she felt like she had no choice.

As she stepped out of the house to follow an agitated Agent Konda over to his waiting car, Lucy paused for a second and turned back to Amy. She knew she would always remember the look of terror on Amy's face as she watched helplessly from the doorway. Poor Amy.

Once they got inside the car, Agent Kondo told Lucy to ask no further questions, only to wait until she received further instructions once they had reached their unknown location. So, as hard as it was for her, Lucy remained silent while the car drove off from her mother's house. They arrived at their destination within fifteen minutes; an immense building stood tall over them as Lucy got out of the car nervously. There were flashing red and blue lights and police sirens everywhere. Guards and soldiers with guns were marching the grounds. Clearly they had arrived at some very important facility…and something terrible had happened here.

Agent Kondo escorted her into the building, though he walked so fast that Lucy barely had time to peer through the interior windows or get a proper look at where she was. Down a corridor they went, then up some stairs, then round a left corner, then up another corridor, then another set of stairs, until finally Agent Kondo came to a halt next to a plain grey door. He opened it and gestured her to follow.

The room was empty aside from one man when Lucy was led inside.

'Wait here, please,' Agent Kondo said, gesturing his hand to the four black armchairs in the centre of the room, and he turned to leave.

Lucy looked around, still bewildered. 'Okay…you know what, I just need to call-' But she broke off when the agent shut the door in her face, a little shaken by his rudeness. 'Cool.'

Looking down and fidgeting anxiously with her necklace, she turned away from the door to face the man already sat at the other end of the waiting room, his legs stretched out and resting on the glass coffee table, as if he had already made himself at home in this mysterious place. Dark-haired and around his early-to-mid thirties, his eyes were closed, almost as if in deep meditation, and his arms were folded. Clearly, he wasn't the social kind who would appreciate someone like Lucy to bother him with her endless list of questions. Trying to match his deep, quiet breathing, Lucy slowly (and rather awkwardly) walked over to the nearest armchair and sat down. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest. Had she done something wrong? Where was she? What was this all about?

Lucy glanced shiftily at the unsocial, albeit rather handsome, man, opening her mouth to speak then chickening out and deciding against it. Eventually her anxiety to find out what was going on got the better of her.

'Are you asleep?' she whispered to him.

'No, ma'am,' the man replied at once in a deep, quiet voice, his eyes still closed.

'Oh. Okay, good,' Lucy said faintly, leaning back.

Somewhat relieved, she took a first proper look at the room. The interior of the walls were patterned in some sort of grey, striped modern design, and lit up in the centre of the front wall was a large black sign with a familiar logo that read: 'MASON INDUSTRIES'. Lucy raised her eyebrows in surprise.

'This is Connor Mason's company?' Lucy realised, perplexed, and when there was no response, she turned back curiously to the man. 'Do you know why we're here?'

'No idea, ma'am,' the man replied wearily, still refusing to open his eyes. He sounded tired, and annoyed that this persistent woman seemed unable to keep quiet.

Lucy considered him for a moment, stunned by how everyone she had come across since being taken from her home was acting so abruptly towards her, and nodded slowly as she leant back on her armchair, slightly disheartened by this stranger's attitude.

She swallowed. 'You know, we're pretty much the same age, so…you can just stop calling me "ma'am",' she said coolly, unimpressed.

There was a short pause, and then the man slowly opened his eyes. They were blue, piercingly blue, even in this dull lighting. He looked at her for a second, taking in her arched eyebrows, her rosy pink lips, her brown eyes lined with long lashes, her shoulder-length wavy black hair. She was wearing casual, nondescript clothes, just as he was. This woman sat before him was certainly not what he had expected to see. She was attractive, there was no doubt about it, but it was her stony, defiant expression that made Wyatt Logan's lips curve up at one end to form a sly smirk.

His smile making her somewhat nervous, Lucy looked him up and down – it had been a while since she had encountered a good-looking man – but before either of them had time to say anything further, they were distracted by the sound of the door opening, and Lucy jerked her head round at once.

'Lucy Preston?' the woman entering said; she was Latina, middle-aged, and wearing a smart blazer and skirt over a blouse, with a long black bob. 'Agent Denise Christopher, Homeland Security.'

Taken aback by the rushed introduction, Lucy took the woman's hand and shook it nervously. Another agent from Homeland Security? What was happening?

'Oh-' Lucy began, raising unsurely from her chair, but Agent Christopher cut over her.

'You've got a hell of a reputation,' Agent Christopher said, impressed, and her insistent nodding and warm smile stunned Lucy into a rare silence. 'History, Anthropology…you're world-class.'

'I'm…just a teacher, my mother is world-class,' Lucy corrected her humbly.

'I've read all of her books. I'm sorry to hear she's sick,' Agent Christopher said softly, and she turned promptly over to the man before Lucy even had a chance to frown or question how, let alone why, Homeland Security knew about her mother's illness. 'And Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan. Delta Force?'

'Yes, ma'am.'

Lucy had sat back down but rose up again in surprise at Agent Christopher's words as she watched the agent and soldier shake hands. _This_ man, in a senior commanding position in the Delta Force? His appearance and less-than-friendly attitude had seemed unremarkable to her, but judging from the almost awestruck look on Agent Christopher's face, this Wyatt Logan was clearly more of an important figure than looks would suggest. It made Lucy all the more anxious as to why she was needed by the government and this company, when she had never done anything remotely special in her life.

'Boy. Speaking of reputations,' Agent Christopher said in admiration, letting go of his hand and failing to see the slight frown that appeared on Wyatt's face at her comment, and she then turned to address them both. 'Well we are on the clock, so follow me, but…hold onto your asses.'

And with that she briskly strode out of the waiting room. Wyatt followed her without hesitation, and without even glancing at Lucy. Lucy stayed stood there for a moment, completely baffled.

'Uh…uh, okay, okay-' she muttered, before gathering her handbag and hurrying off after the pair.

As the three of them headed off down the corridor, Lucy caught up anxiously with Agent Christopher.

'Sorry, I'm still a little bit confused about why I'm here-'

'All will become clear,' Agent Christopher interrupted her brusquely as she led the two of them on down another corridor on the right. 'I will give you the details of the assignment once we have everyone assembled in our headquarters.'

Lucy fell back a few paces. _Assignment?_ What on earth had she gotten herself into? She almost felt like turning around and running to the nearest exit when Wyatt slowed down his walking and inclined his head towards her.

'So, you're a history teacher?' he asked.

Lucy was surprised that he had listened, or that he was even interested. 'Yeah, I'm…I'm at professor at Stanford University,' she replied, continuing to walk alongside him.

'That's conveniently close to here,' Wyatt noted, sounding almost suspicious.

'I guess so. And what about you, Sergeant Logan? Since when did Delta Force have contacts with Mason Industries?' Lucy asked, frowning. 'I don't see the connection.'

Wyatt raised his eyebrows. 'I know no more than you do.'

'I'm afraid we have very little time for pleasantries. Let's get straight to it,' Agent Christopher said firmly, and she pushed open a set of double doors to reveal a large high-ceilinged room that made Lucy's mouth pop open. 'Welcome to the main science laboratory. This particular area is known as the 'control room'.

The lab looked almost like a basement of a factory or testing centre or maybe even an airport hangar, and there were many tiers of desks, equipment, computers and various other machines overlooking a large empty space in the middle. Police and soldiers guarded each level of the working stations, and staff were either sat working agitatedly at the computers or hurrying around in a panic, looking deeply traumatised. Tapes reading 'CAUTION' and 'EMERGENCY' and 'DO NOT ENTER' had been put up everywhere.

Wyatt frowned at the scared looks on everyone's faces and voiced aloud was Lucy was thinking. 'What the hell happened here?'

Agent Christopher chose not to answer, and instead led him and Lucy up another set of steps into what looked like an office with walls of glass at the top of the room that seemed to overlook this whole operation.

'Please come in,' she said, beckoning them inside. 'We're using this room as our headquarters for the time being while we try and sort this mess out.'

'What mess?' Lucy asked warily, drifting over to the glass walls to watch the chaos ensuing in the open offices below them.

With a click of a remote-control button, a TV screen hung on the wall to the office lit up to life. It displayed what looked like a file of a man, with his details and photograph underneath the heading 'FUGITIVE OPERATIVE' written in bold red.

'Garcia Flynn, ex-NSA asset in Eastern Europe,' Agent Christopher announced, staring grimly at the person's file on the screen.

'Ex since when?' Wyatt asked, perched on one of the armchairs.

'Since he killed his wife and child and went off the grid. That was a year ago,' Agent Christopher replied, and Lucy turned around and stared from Agent Christopher to the screen in horror, unable to believe it. 'We thought he was holed up in Chechnya, but apparently not.'

Agent Christopher then clicked another button on the screen and what looked like a CCTV clip started playing. The video was fuzzy and black-and-white, but the man holding the gun and staring ominously at the CCTV camera was definitely the same man from the file Agent Christopher had just shown them. He was stood in the doorway of some sort of weird circular machine, big enough to hold Lucy's bedroom in. With one last look at the camera, Garcia Flynn entered the machine, and what looked like a capsule door slid shut.

'Why's he taking the Star Tours ride?' Wyatt muttered.

But then there came a whirring noise of an engine through the screen speakers as elements of the machine's outer design began to glow and reverberate. After a great deal of rumbling, there was a sonic popping sort of sound, the rays from the light bulbs expanded, and then there was nothing, for the machine had completely disappeared. The clip now only showed an empty room – the empty space in the science lab just outside, in fact – as if that circular vessel-like machine had never been there at all. Wyatt's smile had faded instantly as he stared at the screen in disbelief.

'Wh-hat the hell was that?' Lucy asked sharply, her widened eyes fixated on the screen.

'Some sort of special effect?' Wyatt said to Agent Christopher hopefully.

As if on cue, a smartly-dressed black man then entered the office. 'Ever heard of a closed time-like curve?' the man asked in a British accent, joining the three of them.

Wyatt raised from his seat and stared at the man, awestruck. 'You're Connor Mason,' he said, and he smiled in amazement. 'My buddy has one of your cars.'

'I- excuse me, a closed time-like what?' Lucy asked Mason, completely perplexed.

'Right,' Connor Mason said patiently, and he grabbed a sheet of spare paper from one of the shelves by the wall. 'Say, _this_ , is the fabric of space-time. Now, if you get a powerful enough gravitational field, you could actually bend it back on itself, creating a kind of loop that would allow you to cross over to an earlier point.'

He had demonstrated his very brief explanation by gesturing with the sheet of paper, but Lucy and Wyatt seemed lost at what he was basically trying to tell them.

'An-an earlier point…in _time_ , you mean?' Lucy asked sceptically, struggling to believe that this wasn't a dream.

Agent Christopher sighed. 'What he means is, Mr Mason invented a time machine,' she said bluntly, and Wyatt began to grin, 'and chose not to tell the government about it until it was stolen by terrorists.'

'Right, 'cause the federal government never screws up anything and can always keep a secret,' Mason muttered sarcastically.

Agent Christopher raised her eyebrows at him. 'You're asking for our help now.'

'Uh wait, hold on,' Wyatt said, eyeing them both cynically. 'This is a joke, right? I mean, some-some psych test the government came up with?'

He turned to Lucy for support and she spoke up at once, feeling extremely panicked now. 'I mean this-this can't be possible, right?' she said desperately.

'Well, that's what they said about the moon shot,' Mason pointed out, 'until someone with enough imagination…made it very possible.'

Within the next ten minutes, Lucy and Wyatt had been given clearance to enter the main science lab, and they watched, half in disbelief, half in awe, as a vessel similar to the one Garcia Flynn had stolen was lowered into the hangar. Lucy found herself smiling, dazed, as Mason explained to them that this was the prototype time machine – or time ship – that they called 'The Lifeboat'. It looked rusty, like an old design of some kind of unusual NASA rocket, but nevertheless there was something futuristic about it, something different and new and incredible and terrifying. Its CPU was apparently linked to inform the operations staff back in the lab exactly when the other time machine, 'The Mothership', had been taken to. Lucy stared at the screen on the nearest computer: 3.30pm, 6 May, 1937. She knew that date. That was the day of the Hindenburg disaster, precisely four hours before it had crashed.

'You're actually telling me this guy went back in time, for real, to the Hindenburg?' Lucy was saying in horror, as they all tried to process the information.

'Lucy, if Flynn kills people in '37 who aren't supposed to die, they don't have the kids they're supposed to have, do the things they're supposed to do. History changes,' Mason said ominously. 'Reality changes.'

'So why would you be stupid enough to invent something so dangerous?' Lucy asked him, furious, and Wyatt's lips twitched, impressed.

Mason looked down awkwardly. 'I didn't count on this happening.'

' _Why_ would Flynn do it?' Lucy demanded.

'We don't know,' Agent Christopher replied helplessly. 'But there's room in there for three passengers.'

'Wait, to-to do what?' Lucy asked, bewildered, then the terror sank in when she read the look on everyone's faces. 'Go after him?'

Agent Christopher tilted her head at her, frowning. 'Why else would we bring you here?'

It took Lucy a good twenty minutes to be persuaded to go ahead with the proposed mission. At first, she told them all to forget it and stormed out in fury and disbelief, trying not to admit that the main reason she wanted to leave was because she was scared out of her mind. It was only when Agent Christopher came after her and convinced her that someone who loved history as much as Lucy did would want to save it, that Lucy reluctantly turned away from the car and followed Agent Christopher back inside.

Connor Mason gave Lucy a quick briefing and some official documents for her to sign, and then had a member of his staff, Jiya, escort her to a room where Lucy could change into clothes more appropriate for the time she and Wyatt would apparently be travelling to. On her way to the dressing room, Lucy passed Wyatt, all smart in a crisp 1930s suit and carrying a matching hat. He was smiling, apparently more intrigued than fearful to see whether this really was going to turn out to be a hoax or not.

'Hey. You changed your mind,' Wyatt greeted Lucy, his tone teasing.

Lucy stopped him from walking ahead. 'Just so we're clear, I'm not qualified in any way for dealing with terrorists. I am a historian,' she said to him firmly, her hands shaking slightly. 'I'm only here to give you the knowledge of the time and place, and what happened with the Hindenburg. My job is to keep us inconspicuous and undercover but you're the soldier, _you_ are the one in charge of dealing with this Flynn guy. I want nothing to do with him.'

Wyatt nodded after her little speech. 'Understood, ma'am.'

There was a short pause, in which Lucy glared irritably at him.

'My name is Lucy,' she reminded him slowly, her nostrils flaring. 'Or if you can't handle that, then Miss Preston will do.'

Wyatt smirked then moved on to let her get changed. He was secretly rather relieved this clever history nerd had decided to come along on this expedition with him after all; despite all appearances, Wyatt was slightly apprehensive about what was going to happen once they got into that Lifeboat. When it was time to leave, he returned to the main lab room in time to see Lucy emerge uneasily down the stairs in her new attire; a white blouse and long red skirt. She was rattling on about how her clothing wasn't appropriate.

'This is all wrong. This skirt is from the '40s. And this blouse? They didn't have this kind of fabric back then,' Lucy was saying worriedly. 'Or underwire bras.'

Wyatt rolled his eyes. 'Who is gonna see your bra?' he pointed out as he strolled past casually, and Lucy frowned at him.

'Best we could do on short notice,' Agent Christopher said apologetically as she handed Lucy various items. 'Take this please.'

'I have to call my sister,' Lucy protested urgently.

'You can do it when you get back,' Agent Christopher promised.

Lucy frowned. 'What?'

But Agent Christopher ignored her. 'Here's the address for the tavern.'

'And some money,' Agent Kondo added.

'Huh?' Lucy was startled, overwhelmed with all the things she was being given, but Agent Christopher was already urging her to move – they needed to find Flynn, and fast.

'Let's go.'

Control systems were being verified, computers were beeping, alarms were going off to tell staff to keep out of the way. Lucy took a deep breath; this was really happening. She looked back anxiously at Agent Christopher and Connor Mason as she walked beside Wyatt towards the Lifeboat, waiting for them intimidatingly.

'Don't be noticed. Don't change _anything_ ,' Agent Christopher was saying firmly, an almost warning tone to her voice. 'Understand?'

Wyatt looked over his shoulder to frown at her patronising tone, before proceeding to help Lucy up onto the Lifeboat. Getting up through the entrance was a little awkward, and Lucy nearly tumbled off multiple times until she finally accepted the offered help from Wyatt. When they finally managed to scramble through the open door – or rather, hole – into the Lifeboat, a Mason Industries member of staff was already inside waiting for them, sat in the front seat beside all the controls and two computer screens.

Around a similar age to Lucy and Wyatt, the man was black, with a sharp buzz haircut, a scraggly beard, and a roundish, innocent sort of face that looked tired yet also alert from the stress of the past few hours here at his workplace. He was already buckled into his seat with harnesses and whatnot, and was quickly going over all the controls and switches laid out before him, while checking some digits and plans on the screens as well. Lucy looked around the capsule in awe; the controls seemed to go all the way up to the ceiling, there were so many. She felt her heart begin to quicken; she had spent the whole past hour wondering what it would be like to travel back in time to the past and see 1937 for real with her own eyes, but she had never given much thought to the technicalities of actually how they would manage to get there safely, not to mention the undoubtedly life-threatening risks involved with a newly-invented time machine that she still wasn't sure she believed was actually real or indeed going to work at all.

Two seats were fastened to the floor just behind the staff members' pilot seat, and they were faced opposite each other. It was a bit of a squeeze for Lucy and Wyatt to fit in, and there was an uncomfortable moment as they became close enough for their faces to touch while manoeuvring themselves into their seats, their bodies bumping awkwardly into each other. Wyatt groaned as he indicated for her to sit down.

'Uh…it's okay…just start…' she mumbled incoherently, wanting to get this over with, as she sat down in her allocated seat.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows at her, checking that she was all right, then nodded as he sat down opposite her.

'Okay…' Lucy murmured nervously, sighing, and her eyes turned to the staff member so she could introduce herself. 'Lucy.'

The man inclined his head towards her. 'Rufus,' he greeted, pressing a few switches that came whirring to life, and Lucy cringed at the sound. 'I'm a pilot. Kind of.'

Lucy raised her eyebrows in alarm as she tried fastening the harness over her shoulders. '"Kind of"?' she repeated, while endless beeps filled the room.

'Wyatt,' Wyatt introduced himself to the pilot, buckling himself in, and when he was finished he watched, a slight smile on his face, as Lucy struggled with the many different harnesses and belts on her seat.

'Are all these seatbelts…really necessary?' Lucy asked Rufus, and Wyatt's eyebrow twitched in amusement.

'Oooh yeah,' Rufus replied darkly, as he stared up at one of his control screens. 'You'll see.'

Lucy looked up from her seatbelts, the terror evident in her eyes.

Wyatt smiled at her. 'You okay?'

'I'm…I'm claustrophobic,' Lucy admitted anxiously, and her voice broke. 'And apparently about to travel through time, so…' But she trailed off as Wyatt exhaled deeply, and she caught a whiff of his breath; she frowned. 'Have you been drinking?'

'Didn't know I was gonna be working tonight, ma'am,' Wyatt replied simply, an apologetic smirk on his face.

'Stop – calling me – "ma'am",' Lucy said through gritted teeth, furious, and deeply wishing those wouldn't be her last words.

And then suddenly the machinery within the Lifeboat began to whirr, and they could hear indistinct announcements both from inside and outside the reverberating ship. Lucy watched in despair as the capsule door slid shut, locking them in. Too late to turn back now.

'Might want to hold on,' Rufus the pilot advised, his hands pressing numerous switches as if he were playing a church organ.

Lucy felt butterflies in her stomach as the ship powered up, wishing she could block out the deafening sound of the metal clanking and blaring alarms. She couldn't seem to open her mouth to speak; neither, it seemed, did the other two. The nerves in all three of them were tangible in the air. The rumbling was making Lucy shake with fear, the capsule was whirring, the rumbling was getting louder, the whirring intensifying –

As they launched off into nothingness, the whole world seeming to shake and throw them around violently, Lucy's eyes fell inexplicably to Wyatt, who was watching her. He was scared out of his wits too, but he gave her a warm smile, and for some reason, this somewhat reassured Lucy. As infuriating as this man was…at least she wasn't diving into the middle of nowhere on her own.


	2. Kate Drummond

When they landed roughly onto ground, it took a few moments for the three of them to regain their senses. While the machine's rumbling and whirring slowed down to a halt, Lucy slowly undid her seatbelts with fumbling fingers as the air lock hissed and the capsule door opened with a metal clanking sound. Rufus and Wyatt were breathing heavily; they, too, appeared shocked by the experience. Deeply shaken, Lucy looked up at Wyatt to see that he was staring into space seeing nothing, his face white as a ghost.

'Are you okay?' she asked faintly, panting.

Wyatt blinked and looked up at her before nodding, and in that moment Lucy saw not a brave heroic soldier, but a scared innocent boy. It made him seem more human.

'Totally good,' he replied in a croaky voice, a brief flicker of a smile on his face.

Lucy was the first to step outside. Once she had scrambled awkwardly down from the capsule, she straightened up and looked around. They were in the middle of an empty field, surrounded by trees – Rufus had been instructed to land in a location hidden away from civilisation in case there were any passers-by who happened to see a time machine materialise in front of their very eyes. Lucy could hardly believe it, but it felt and looked so real…could it really be true?

Wyatt nearly collapsed out after her and Rufus, looking like he might faint or throw up.

'Are we here?' he muttered weakly, groaning and spitting on the ground.

'I think so,' Rufus replied.

'Are you sure?'

Lucy nodded, stunned, as she stared up in awe at the sky, an inescapable smile breaking out on her face. 'Pretty sure.'

Wyatt and Rufus turned around to follow her gaze, and their mouths fell open. There it was. The German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg, simply hovering above them in the grey, cloud-filled sky. They had made it. They were in 1937.

* * *

As the three unusual allies headed down the road while Rufus explained to Wyatt about the fabric of reality and bad consequences of time-travelling through your own personal timeline, they managed to catch a passing bus towards the centre of town, although, ridiculously, Rufus had to sit at the back. Lucy had hoped they would be able to avoid the racial prejudices of the time, but if anything was needed to further confirm they were in the 1930s, it was this. Lucy and Wyatt sat on a seat together, once Lucy had refrained Wyatt from verbally abusing the bus driver for ordering Rufus to sit away from them.

'How are you doing?' Lucy asked him, as Wyatt fiddled agitatedly with his hat.

Wyatt sighed irritably. 'I'm not still going into shock, if that's what you're getting at.'

'There'd be nothing wrong with you if you were,' Lucy said sincerely, watching the passing forests and buildings out of the window, and Wyatt frowned at her.

'How are _you_ so calm about all this?' he demanded, and he seemed infuriated. 'You were freaking out before but now we're here and…'

Lucy smiled. 'We've just travelled back in time, seventy-nine years into the past, and we've somehow survived doing it,' she said simply. 'It's every historian's dream.'

There was a pause while Wyatt simply stared at her and considered her words. Ever so slowly, he began to smile back.

'We've time-travelled,' he said, dazed.

Lucy nodded, almost giddy, and began to laugh. 'We've time-travelled!' she repeated excitedly, but then Wyatt shushed her urgently, gesturing the grumpy-looking passengers frowning at the pair.

When they arrived in town and got off the bus, the sight before them was unlike Lucy had ever seen. She felt like they had stepped onto a film set. There were motor cars everywhere – much more motor cars than she'd expected – and endless crowds of people walking about dressed in long dresses and sharp suits and hats, going shopping or to work…or to witness the landing of the Hindenburg. Old-fashioned lampposts, stalls and shop signs lined the streets, and Lucy felt like she couldn't stop beaming at whatever miracle or destiny it was that had brought her here. She wanted to spend more time to sightsee and simply just watch these people go by with their fascinating lives, so she could take a mental image in her mind for her mother, but Wyatt was impatient and eager to find Flynn, so off they went in pursuit of the fugitive. As they walked, Lucy informed Wyatt and Rufus of how the Hindenburg was due to crash later that day.

The Hindenburg was currently reaching the airfield, but wouldn't be able to land right away because of the treacherous thunder, rain and high winds, so the Hindenburg would make multiple turns, causing the air to friction and building up static electricity. Then at 7.25pm, the Hindenburg would throw down the mooring ropes, but the ground crew would drag the ropes through the grass that was wet from the rain; as a result the ropes would get soaked, which would thus electrically ground the ship. This would cause a spark in the metal hull, which would therefore ignite a leaking hydrogen balloon, burning 2000 cubic litres and leaving 36 people dead.

What Flynn was going to do was anyone's guess – maybe interfere so that the crash would kill even more people? – but whatever his plan was, it needed to be stopped right away…and by any means necessary, according to Wyatt, which scared Lucy slightly. She had never worked or even talked to a soldier before, and she wasn't sure she liked the casual tone with which he assured her and Rufus that he would 'take care' of Flynn, as if the idea of killing was a perfectly comfortable one for him.

The main problem they faced now was actually locating Flynn's whereabouts, however an answer to this conundrum seemed to appear in the form of an attractive blonde citizen in a rowdy bar they happened upon. Only she wasn't just an ordinary citizen, as Lucy quickly realised; she recognised that stunning profile from the textbooks.

'That's Kate Drummond,' Lucy said in awe, watching Kate leant by a doorway at the far end of the bar, and then she sighed sadly. 'Oh, right, of course she'd be here.'

'Who's she?' Wyatt asked, disinterested, as he took a swig of his drink from the bar.

'She has a column in the Hearst papers,' Lucy replied enthusiastically, and Wyatt gave a double take as he looked round at Kate, stood over by the corner. 'She covered the wars in Manchuria and Ethiopia.'

Lucy tore her eyes off Kate's laughing, happy face to see that Wyatt was staring at Kate Drummond with a blank expression. He looked as if he had been hit over the head.

'What?' Lucy asked, frowning.

Wyatt hesitated. 'Just…reminds me of someone, that's all,' he replied airily with a shrug, and with that he put his drink down and moved past Lucy to approach Kate.

'Wyatt!' Lucy whispered in protest, annoyed; she wished she had never said anything.

By the time Lucy had reluctantly followed him, Wyatt had already moved past the pleasantries.

'Would you like a drink, Miss Drummond?' he was saying to Kate, a flirtatious smile on his face – just like when he had first smiled at Lucy in the Mason Industries waiting room merely hours ago.

Kate looked surprised, and Lucy felt her low-esteem sink further as she took in just how stunningly beautiful she was. 'You know who I am?'

'Oh, yeah. The way you covered the wars in Manchuria and Ethiopia really makes a guy think,' Wyatt said, making Lucy's nostrils flare, and Kate smiled.

'Oh, you're a soldier.'

Wyatt gazed at her, spellbound, his smile irresistible. 'How'd you know?'

'The pick-up line, for one,' Kate replied coolly, leaning against the pinball machine she'd been playing on. 'I've known too many soldiers.'

'Not like me, you haven't,' Wyatt said with a sly grin, and the way he was looking at Kate made Lucy immediately launch herself forwards, having had enough.

'Miss Drummond?' Lucy said nervously, completely awestruck, and she reached out to shake a bewildered Kate's hand. 'Um, it is _so_ nice to meet you. You are a hell of a writer.'

Wyatt looked furious for her interruption. 'This is my _older_ sister, Lucy,' he introduced pointedly, casting Lucy an irritated look.

Lucy glared at him. She wasn't sure what offended her more, the fact that he thought she was older than him, or the fact that he'd decided to view her as a sibling figure.

'That's kind of you, Lucy,' Kate said appreciatively.

'You're in town to cover the Hindenburg's arrival?' Lucy asked her eagerly.

'Yes, and then I'm riding it back to Europe for the coronation 'cause there's nothing like a tight, enclosed space with a bunch of stuffed shirts,' Kate said sardonically, her attention on the pinball machine.

'Well, maybe you won't have to take that trip after all,' Wyatt said, laughing.

Lucy threw him a dark look. She had been worried about this kind of thing – Wyatt and Rufus interfering with things that were meant to happen, or hinting to civilians about what was about to occur. Wyatt couldn't risk it, and particularly not with Kate Drummond…not when she was due to die in ninety minutes when the Hindenburg would crash down on top of her. Wyatt was horrified when Lucy later revealed this once they had left the bar, having got the information they needed from Kate, but there was little time to dwell on Kate's fate, for Flynn was on the move and time was of the essence.

Having been informed by Kate that a man looking like Garcia Flynn had joined the ground crew as an extra airfield officer to help bring the Hindenburg down, Lucy and the others hurried over to the airfield. The Hindenburg had arrived, and was slowly beginning its descent. It was drizzling, and the clouds above were rumbling threateningly as crowds gathered and journalists and photographers set up their equipment and notepads eagerly. A presenter was speaking into a microphone, his commentary being broadcast through the radio. Lucy, Wyatt and Rufus rushed through the crowds in search of Flynn, but there was no sign of him.

 _Where could he be? What's he up to?_

Posing as a doctor and nurse from General Hospital, Lucy and Wyatt implored Commander Rosendahl to help search for their 'patient', Garcia Flynn, within the ground crew, and together they all split up to find him, with merely minutes left to go until the crash. Wyatt had told the others not to engage if they saw Flynn, but when Lucy caught sight of their fugitive for the first time and looked anxiously for Wyatt, she was dismayed to see that Wyatt had been diverted by the sight of Kate Drummond, and he was trying to lead her urgently away from where he knew the Hindenburg would crash on top of her. Annoyed, stressed and extremely frightened, Lucy went after Flynn herself to demand what he had set in place for the Hindenburg before it would crash. She barely even registered the fact that 7.25pm had passed and the Hindenburg was continuing to land in its graceful, majestic fashion, rather than erupt in flames and collapse to the ground.

Having witnessed a suspicious-looking Flynn enter one of the airport hangars, Lucy went inside curiously, before being slammed against the wall by an unknown man.

'Are you following us?!' the man yelled at her, ignoring her muffled shouts of protest. 'Flynn wants to talk to you.'

But then a fist appeared from nowhere and a terrified Lucy gasped in shock as Wyatt pushed the attacked away and proceeded to punch him. Lucy was frozen as she watched the fight, and then felt herself go cold as she watched Wyatt pull out his gun and aim it at the man.

'Take me to Flynn,' Wyatt ordered.

But the man simply just laughed, and stepped forwards with hands ready to attack – so Wyatt shot him. Multiple times. The man collapsed to the ground just as Rufus appeared behind him, and Lucy watched in horror as Wyatt crept over, his gun still out, to check that the hitman was indeed dead. Lucy didn't know what to do – she wanted to scream and shout at Wyatt but she was speechless and shivering so violently that perhaps reprimanding Wyatt was not the best idea for now.

 _He just killed a man._

Lucy turned away, and walked unsteadily over to the entrance of the hangar. Soldiers really were a different breed of people. A deadly breed. Her eyes fell upon the Hindenburg; it had landed, safe and sound. The passengers were leaving.

Wyatt had crouched down beside the dead hitman, but Lucy's silence was concerning, so he turned to look at her. She'd gone white, and she was visibly shaking as she stared out at the airfield. He wished she wouldn't think badly of him for doing what he'd had to do to save their lives…but he didn't have high hopes.

'You okay?' he asked her, panting.

Lucy turned back to him, wondering how he could ever ask such a thing after what he had just made her witness. 'Flynn just saved the Hindenburg. So no, I am definitely not okay,' she replied in a shaky voice.

* * *

It was nightfall by the time Lucy had managed to calm down. She had stayed silent and simply stared at the silhouette of the parked Hindenburg while Wyatt and Rufus had debated about what to do with the hitman's body and whether they should lay low and hide there in the hangar overnight until they came up with a plan of what to do. The problem was, they didn't have any orders for what to do in this event – Agent Christopher and Connor Mason had only presumed Flynn would try to cause more deaths, rather than prevent them.

Rufus soon deduced that Flynn had achieved this by instructing the ground crew members to lift the mooring ropes off the wet grass and wrapping them up, thus no spark had been created. The question was _why_.

'It's a bad thing 36 people lived?' Wyatt said to Lucy, frowning.

' _Very_ bad,' Lucy said urgently, looking positively terrified. 'It could change the present in ways we can't possibly predict.'

While Rufus tried to diffuse the tension by tracing a walkie talkie they'd found in the dead hitman's pocket, Wyatt stepped over to Lucy's side as she stared out at the moonlit sky…the sky that should have been filled with smoke and floating debris, but instead there was nothing but clean air and chirping birds. She wondered if she was ready to talk to him yet, to confront him about what he'd just done. She opened her mouth once, then thought better of it, not knowing what filth would pour out of her mouth if she lost control of her temper. Wyatt sighed and waited patiently beside her, knowing what was coming and knowing that he might even deserve it. Finally, Lucy gave in.

'You shouldn't have brought that gun,' she snapped, her voice breaking as she turned around to glare at him.

'Oh, the one I saved your ass with?' Wyatt said, smiling slyly at her, but Lucy was not in the mood for any of his flirting, not now.

'We are surrounded by Nazis,' Lucy pointed out, livid. 'What if one of them takes your future gun…to Berlin?'

Wyatt shrugged. 'Sometimes things get messy.'

'It is my job to make sure there is _no_ mess,' Lucy said firmly, furious with him.

'There's _always_ a mess,' Wyatt said, and he looked angry now. 'That's the deal. So now we make it up as we go. And I take out Flynn – which, by the way, might require the use of a damn gun.'

'So if that's your job, why did you run off after Kate?' Lucy asked calmly, an accusing tone to her voice.

There was a silence as Wyatt looked at her, his frown gone, his expression empty now. _Oh, shit._ He hadn't realised Lucy had noticed that. Lucy saw a flicker of something in his eyes as she stared back at him, but Wyatt didn't get time to answer, for Rufus then interrupted them with the discovery that the hitman's walkie-talkie was in fact a bomb detonator. A feeling of dread building up inside her, Lucy took out today's newspaper she had bought from a stall earlier on that afternoon and read out Kate's column:

'"The Hindenburg will welcome many luminaries aboard its return trip to Europe and the king's coronation. John D. Rockefeller Jr., Omar Bradley, Igor Sikorsky"…' Lucy trailed off anxiously, thinking hard.

'I don't follow,' Wyatt said, frowning.

Lucy's breathing was rather quick and panicked now. 'Rockefeller's gonna help build the United Nations. Bradley's crucial to planning D-Day. S-Sikorsky invented the damn helicopter! I mean, what if that's why Flynn saved the Hindenburg? What if he didn't want to blow it up on the way in because he wants to blow it up on the way _out_?' she said, and Wyatt and Rufus stared at her in horror. 'If these people died, the-the damage to the timeline, it's-it's catastrophic!'

Before they could do anything to address this terrifying predicament, however, the three of them found themselves being handcuffed and shoved into a police car; Wyatt guessed that Flynn had given the police an anonymous tip-off about the location of his dead hitman in the airport hangar. Rufus ended up being thrown into a separate cell next to Lucy and Wyatt's joint one at the police station, and as the cops locked them up, it took all Lucy had in her not to scream out hysterically.

'Please, just call the airfield and tell them that the Hindenburg is in danger!' Lucy cried out desperately, as the officers left the cell room with sceptical looks, and she rattled the bars of their cell in panicked frustration. ' _Please_!'

'Piece-of-crap, old lock,' Wyatt muttered, sighing as he analysed the padlock that bolted the cell door shut.

'Can you open it?' Lucy asked.

'Oh, yeah,' Wyatt said sardonically. 'Easy with a hairpin, which I'm guessing you don't have.'

'No, I don't.'

Wyatt sighed heavily and rattled the cell bars in his anger. As the hours slowly passed, Lucy couldn't help thinking of all those innocent people who would be boarding the Hindenburg right now, excited to begin their day with an exhilarating flight. All those people, about to be killed by a bomb. And there was nothing they could do to stop it.

'How soon till the Hindenburg leaves?' Wyatt asked after a long silence of staring around the dimly-lit room for any opportunity of escape.

'Just before dawn, so…pretty soon,' Lucy replied quietly, her tone empty, as she lay on top of her long coat on the bottom bunk bed.

'Great, we just rot in here while all those people die,' Wyatt said helplessly. 'While-'

'Kate dies?' Lucy finished for him, and Wyatt froze while he silently clenched his fists, looking away out of the cell bars; Lucy sighed and sat up on the bed. 'Okay. So…what is it about her?'

Frustrated, Wyatt walked over to sit on the bench next to the bunk bed, giving a casual shrug. He was annoyed that Lucy should keep going on about this when there were far more important things to be talking about right now.

'Hmm?' Lucy persisted, raising her eyebrows at him.

'Nothing,' Wyatt replied, avoiding her gaze.

Who even was this Lucy Preston anyway? She didn't know Wyatt, she had no right to press him on personal matters. He didn't want to talk to her about this.

'Okay, so you're just one of those soldiers who ignores his orders to chase a pretty face?' Lucy challenged sceptically.

'Kate reminds me of my wife,' Wyatt said in a low but slightly shaking voice, and he turned to fix her with a firm look in his eyes that made Lucy's face fall. 'Okay?'

He didn't mean to say it, he never meant to speak about _her_ in front of this annoying stranger, but the words just came out of his mouth before he even had time to think. He resented Lucy for her comment, for even thinking that he would be so low as to abandon his principles and duty just for the hopes of getting lucky with some attractive woman. That just wasn't him.

Lucy gazed at him, not knowing what to think, or what to feel. She began shaking her head helplessly, at a loss with what to say. She had thought he'd been flirting with her earlier, and with Kate…but clearly she was wrong.

'They even look alike,' Wyatt murmured thoughtfully, his tone unusually soft. 'Little bit.'

'I didn't know you were married,' Lucy said apologetically, her eyes glancing down to his finger, even though she knew from before when she had checked him out in the Mason Industries waiting room that there was no wedding ring there.

Wyatt was silent for a moment, and swallowed. He wouldn't normally have told her – or anyone, in fact – but something about Lucy's gentler voice and caring expression made him think it was okay to open up about just this one thing, so that she would know the truth…so she could understand.

'Jessica died.'

Even after all this time, it still pained him to say it, to hear those words ring out and be true.

Lucy's lips parted, shocked. She felt terrible with herself for prying, for forcing him to explain himself. She could tell he wanted nothing more than to be as far away from Lucy as he could so he wouldn't have to talk about this…so that he wouldn't be faced with a look of yet another desperately sympathetic person. He couldn't stand the pity.

Wyatt blinked the tears away rapidly. 'It was my fault,' he murmured, and his voice began to shake. 'If I could just change that one…'

But he trailed off, unable to finish. It was too much, even after four years, for him to revisit that dark time in his life. The guilt had nearly broken him. He wasn't going to let this nosy history professor see that. Lucy was watching him, speechless and unsure whether he wanted her to say anything or pat him on the back in an attempt to comfort him…or whether she was better off just staying silent.

Wyatt exhaled deeply. 'So when I saw Kate, I just couldn't let her…'

He couldn't hide the fact that his eyes were watering now, the tears threatening to leak out. In that moment Lucy hated herself for shouting at him for killing the hitman, for bringing his gun, for everything. She had never felt more sorry for someone in her entire life, but she also felt like she understood him so much more now. He was battered and bruised and broken, and probably half the person he had been when he had been happily married to Jessica. Lucy watched him as he got up from the bench to hide his face and wipe away his tears, and her eyes fell on Rufus, dozing in and out of consciousness on the uncomfortable bed in the cell next to theirs. She wondered if he had heard what Wyatt had just revealed.

When Wyatt had been quiet for some time, Lucy then decided to speak.

'Wyatt, I'm…I'm sorry about your wife,' she said quietly, and Wyatt slowly turned from the bars to look at her. 'I wish…there was something I could say or…-'

'You didn't know,' Wyatt said kindly, his voice breaking slightly, and he nodded. 'But thank you.'

Lucy got up from the bed. 'Hey. If we somehow manage to escape this hell hole in the next two hours…Kate's gonna be one of the first people we get out of that damn Hindenburg,' she promised, and a small smile appeared on Wyatt's face – a genuine smile that made Lucy dare to believe that maybe there could be hope of them getting out of this after all.

* * *

The cop guarding them switched the lights back on in the cell room after about an hour – nearly dawn. Lucy walked over to the cell bars and tried again to make him see sense to warn the airfield about a potential bomb, but she might as well have been talking to a brick wall for all the good it did. Instead, the cop seemed intent on analysing the items they had pulled from their prisoners' clothing…Wyatt's pistol being one of particular interest, it seemed.

'What the hell kind of a gun is this?' the cop asked from his desk, frowning as he observed Wyatt's weapon from every angle.

Lucy raised her eyebrows and turned around to tilt her head at Wyatt, who was stood leaning against the bunk bed, and she gave him a look that plainly said, 'I told you so'. Wyatt sighed and looked away from her before slowly turning back. His eyes dropped down from her face to her chest. Lucy looked back at him, though he seemed completely unperturbed by the fact that she had caught him staring. She followed his gaze, seeing there was a slight gap in the buttons of her blouse, which showed her bra. Frowning, she turned away, scoffing at his inappropriateness. _Men._ He had seemed so genuine earlier when talking about his wife, but maybe he really was just some typical playboy who liked to chat up and manipulate the emotions of women. One thing was certainly clear – from the way he was looking at her now, Wyatt hadn't meant what he'd said when referring to Lucy as his sister in front of Kate Drummond.

Wyatt then slowly approached Lucy and leaned over, mere inches away, his lips to her ear. Lucy took a deep breath as she stared fixedly ahead, gripping the bars; for one mad, nerve-wracking second she thought he was going to make a pass at her.

'I know how to get out,' he whispered to her, and the proximity made Lucy's heart skip a beat for a second before she registered what he'd just said.

'How?' she whispered back, frowning.

Without answering, Wyatt then moved over to get Rufus's attention, over in the other cell. 'Psst. Make a distraction,' he whispered, slowly but urgently.

It turned out that Rufus's form of a distraction was beyond exemplary. After being denied a glass of water and being addressed as a 'boy', Rufus delivered a powerful speech to the racist cop that nearly made Lucy and Wyatt break out in a round of applause, if they hadn't been so preoccupied trying to make the cop leave the room. As soon as the cop had marched out angrily to get his colleague, Wyatt turned to Lucy, ignoring Rufus's nervous rambling.

'Take off your bra,' Wyatt ordered, glancing down at Lucy's chest once again.

Lucy frowned at him, appalled. 'What?!'

'Your modern bra,' Wyatt clarified impatiently, holding his hand out, and Lucy's frown disappeared as she realised what he meant.

'With underwire, yeah,' she said triumphantly, and she moved away from him to unbutton her blouse.

Wyatt tried not to glance in her direction but then couldn't help gazing at Lucy's bare back as she unclasped and removed her bra. Lucy looked over her shoulder and saw; swallowing, Wyatt looked down at once, trying not to feel too embarrassed or ashamed. What would Jessica have thought if she'd seen him staring at another woman in that way?

 _No. You can't think like that._

Covering up her chest with her blouse, Lucy then tossed Wyatt her bra; he caught it with a hint of a smirk, impressed with her speed, then began to bite at the underwiring. She knew it must be tricky, but Wyatt seemed to be working quickly, and in one slick movement he'd got the wire out. She wiggled her eyebrows; clearly Wyatt knew how to handle a bra well.

'Here,' he murmured, throwing it back to her as he immediately began to fiddle around with the wire and padlock to the cell.

Wyatt managed to break the lock just in time before the cops opened Rufus's cell to beat him senseless; punching them until they were both unconscious, Wyatt locked the cops back in the cell, took their keys and his gun, and together, the three of them ran hurriedly from the building and headed straight to the airfield.

There was still time to save everyone. There had to be because if not…Lucy wasn't sure what kind of 2016 they would arrive back to if all 97 passengers were killed.


	3. The New Hindenburg Disaster

When Lucy had left work to go home to her dying mother after just being told her tenure project had been denied, she didn't think her life could get any worse. Little had she known that, in less than twenty-four hours' time, she would find herself in 1937 hijacking the Hindenburg on its return flight to Europe that was never supposed to happen, pointing a knife threateningly at its pilot while praying to God the bomb on the airship wouldn't detonate.

To say it had been a strange day would be an understatement.

Sneaking past security to get onto the Hindenburg had all passed in a bit of a blur…in fact Lucy hadn't really felt like she was truly _there_ at all as they bumped into Kate Drummond and followed her to the kitchen on board, where she had seen Garcia Flynn. The whole venture had been like an out-of-body experience. When they'd located the bomb, Wyatt had ordered Lucy and Rufus to leave and tell the pilot to land the Hindenburg so the passengers could escape in time. Leaving Wyatt to try and diffuse a bomb that was about to explode in a few minutes had not boded well with Lucy, but he'd left them with no choice.

'Hey,' Wyatt had said softly to a tearful Lucy. 'I need you to ground the ship and get the people off.'

'How do we do that?' Rufus had asked, so stressed that he appeared calm.

Wyatt had looked at Lucy, at a loss with what to say, and she'd gazed back at him in despair, before repeating his own words from before: 'We make it up as we go.'

Wyatt had nodded slowly, wishing he could do something to calm this poor woman's nerves and help her through this, but he had to try and stop this bomb from going off or they were all doomed. There had been no goodbyes when Lucy and Rufus left, no last looks – they were determined they would all come out of this and see Wyatt again.

And so, here Lucy was now, pointing a knife at the pilot, posing as a terrorist with the Anarchist Black Cross, and commanding that he land the airship. To hell with the risk of being arrested or even killed for hijacking the flight – anything to buy Wyatt time and get these innocent people off onto the ground in time.

'We have a bomb on this ship. You're going to land now and await further demands,' Lucy was commanding, the hand holding the knife shaking.

How did she gotten herself into this mess? How were they even going to survive it?

Meanwhile, Wyatt was engaged in a fierce, bloody fight with one of Flynn's henchmen in the kitchen, the bomb still ticking away. It was only when Kate, who had stayed behind to support Wyatt just like Jessica would have done, whacked the henchman over the head with a pan, that Wyatt was able to stumble, injured though he was, back over to the bomb and diffuse it right at the very last second.

And then he heard Kate scream out: 'Don't shoot, you idiot!', but it was too late – the henchman had already pressed the trigger to his gun.

Wyatt felt the drop in his stomach as the Hindenburg fell downwards before he heard the explosion from above as a result of the stray bullet. Flames erupted everywhere, screams rent the air, and Wyatt and Kate watched in horror as the henchman following them got lost in the spreading fire. As the burning airship crashed down to the ground, Wyatt smashed the glass of a nearby window and helped Kate jump out, all the while hoping Lucy and Rufus were safe and had somehow managed to find a way to escape the airship from wherever they had been.

He didn't have to look very far; in the midst of the pandemonium and debris and flames, Wyatt caught sight of Lucy's petite silhouette. But she wasn't alone – the tall, dark unmistakable figure of Garcia Flynn was stood opposite her. Panicked, Wyatt quickly led Kate by the hand to the side, away from the burning airship and the chaos and the screaming, crying people running around in terror.

'Get someplace safe!' he said loudly to her.

'Where are you going?!' Kate asked, clearly still frightened.

'Have a good life,' was Wyatt's reply, and as the front of the airship erupted into more flames, he ran back out towards the airship, towards Lucy, ignoring Kate's tearful protests.

As Wyatt ran over to Lucy, his hand already reaching in his pocket for his gun, Garcia Flynn spotted him over Lucy's shoulder and immediately grabbed her and spun her round, holding her round the neck as he pulled out his own pistol and aimed it directly at Wyatt. Lucy's small scream of terror made Wyatt freeze, his arm already held out, aiming his gun at Flynn. With all the burning flames and screaming crowds, no one else around them had even noticed what was happening. Despite being strangled by Flynn's tight grip, Lucy felt a surge of relief to see Wyatt's face, bloodied and bruised though it was.

'I know for a fact that you're not gonna shoot,' Flynn called out to Wyatt, his accent slightly foreign.

The two men stared at each other, both guns pointing and ready to fire, and Wyatt's eyes flickered back to Lucy's face. Her beautiful, scared face. She was just a historian. She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve any of the traumatic events they had been put through these past few hours. Even Wyatt was struggling, and he was a soldier who had fought battles in Afghanistan. Lucy was too precious, too innocent, to be caught up in any of this, and Wyatt felt suddenly enraged at Homeland Security and Mason Industries for selecting her of all people as a Lifeboat passenger.

'Wyatt,' Lucy whispered, shaking her head desperately as she watched the burning look in Wyatt's eyes, the blood trickling down his cheek.

Wyatt stared back at her for a minute, then tilted his head, his mind made up. He pulled the trigger.

Lucy let out a blood-curdling shriek when the gunshot rent the air, and blood spurted out of Flynn's shoulder as he released his tight grip of her. Lucy hit the ground, but not before she heard Flynn's retaliating gunshot. She looked up in time to see that Wyatt had ducked…but Flynn's bullet had not missed Kate Drummond, who had been stood, unnoticed, directly behind Wyatt.

'Kate!' Wyatt yelled, as Kate collapsed to the ground.

'Oh, Kate!' Lucy cried, rushing forwards to help the poor, innocent journalist, but then her voice turned to a whisper as she saw how deep the bullet wound was in Kate's chest. 'Oh my God.'

Wyatt turned anxiously back and forth between Kate's limp figure and Flynn, who was getting away. 'You got her?' Wyatt shouted to Lucy.

'I got her! Go!' Lucy urged; she wanted that son-of-a-bitch Flynn caught…particularly after what he had done to Kate, and the things he had just said to her, that notebook of lies he had just shown her…

When Wyatt returned to Lucy merely seconds later, she knew that Flynn had already disappeared. He'd got away with it, with everything. They had failed in their mission. But Wyatt didn't seem to care about that right now; he rushed forward and took over, kneeling beside Lucy and supporting Kate's head with his hands as she spluttered and blood leaked from her mouth while the bullet did its work. Kate was in shock – she was panicking and trembling, coughing and speaking to him deliriously, but no tangible words could be heard…

'Come on. Just relax, relax. It's okay, it's okay. Come on. Kate, come, Kate, come on!' Wyatt was saying urgently, trying to steady Kate, but then Kate stopped moving and her eyes rolled back, and her head went limp in Wyatt's arms.

Shaking violently, her neck aching from Flynn's firm arms, her arms burnt from the fire that had broken out in the flight deck, her bruised face covered in smoke and tears, Lucy looked up to face Wyatt. He was staring down at Kate's body in disbelief, his tear-filled eyes reflecting the light of the burning flames from the airship. She could see the guilt and fury etched in every feature of his face, and there was nothing she could do to help him. It was Jessica, all over again.

'Guys,' came a faint voice from nearby; it was Rufus, looking dismayed as he stared down at them. 'I'm sorry, but we've gotta go. Flynn's run off, and the cops will be after us – what with us being terrorist hijacking maniacs from the Anarchist Black Cross and all.'

'We can't just leave her,' Wyatt said in a shaking voice that was barely a whisper, as he refused to take his eyes off Kate.

'Wyatt, she's gone. There's nothing we can do for her now,' Lucy murmured, reaching out to touch him, but he shrugged her hand off his shoulder. 'She's gone. I'm…I'm so-so sorry.'

She knew how much Kate had meant to him, as strange as the connection might have seemed. Wyatt began to shake his head, anguished.

'I don't know where Flynn went,' he mumbled helplessly, hating that Lucy and Rufus were seeing him like this in such a vulnerable state.

'It's okay, we'll be able to track him from the CPU in the Lifeboat,' Rufus said, sounding rather shaken, as he helped Lucy up to her feet. 'Chances are he'll have gone back to 2016 to recharge the Mothership.'

It took a while for them to convince Wyatt to get up and leave, reassuring him that people would soon find Kate's body, and when they did finally manage it, Wyatt marched off angrily ahead of them, filled with grief and self-loathing as the memory of his wife's death went flooding through him…

Lucy caught up with him as he led them furiously up the road, knowing instantly what he was thinking.

'Wyatt, this isn't Jessica, this isn't your fault-!'

'Don't speak her name!' Wyatt interrupted sharply, rounding on her, and Lucy flinched. 'You don't know what happened! You don't know anything, you know none of it! And Kate? She died because of me! If we'd never met, she would still be alive-'

'No, she wouldn't, because if you two had never met, she would never have noticed Flynn, she would never have led us to the bomb and helped you diffuse it, and then we'd have all died! She saved us,' Lucy told him fiercely. 'Her going after you was her own choice, you cannot take responsibility for everything!'

'How can I not?' Wyatt yelled incredulously. 'My job is to protect the civilians and eliminate the dangerous, and I failed at both!'

Rufus let out a loud groan and interrupted Lucy before she could open her mouth to retort back. 'Guys, save the fighting till later! Wyatt, I'm really sorry you're hurting but you need to get your act together so we can find our way back to the Lifeboat quickly before the cops catch us. And Lucy, give the man a break and let him breathe, the dude doesn't owe you a monologue of all his thoughts!' Rufus said commandingly, and he sighed, looking immediately apologetic. 'Now let's focus on getting ourselves home.'

Lucy and Wyatt followed Rufus the rest of the way in diligent silence until at last they found the field in which they had left the Lifeboat. It was strange that the sight of such a peculiar-looking vessel that had previously made Lucy terrified now seemed to fill her with some sort of comfort. It was the promise of home. 2016. Normality. She knew she would never be able to forget that this had happened…and she would probably need a great deal of therapy to help her recover from the events of today…but at least now the thought of home and Amy's face when Lucy would tell her the extraordinary thing that had happened to her today could keep her going.

'So what happens now?' Wyatt asked quietly as they stumbled into the capsule and fastened themselves into their seats. 'The Hindenburg disaster didn't happen. Will anything major be different when we go back?'

'We just got a new Hindenburg disaster that happened the next day instead. But we don't know who died and who lived in this one. The timeline will have changed,' Lucy replied, trying to conceal her anguish. 'I guess we'll find out more when we get back to 2016.'

Rufus frowned at her tone. 'Are you all right, Lucy?'

'No,' Lucy admitted wearily, sighing. 'Kate died, Flynn got away, we nearly got blown up in the Hindenburg, and my entire life is a lie. History's meant to be real, tangible, solid facts…but we just changed it and now everything's messed up. Who knows what it's done to the present.'

'Hey, we did all we could. And we stopped the bomb, we got people out of the ship,' Rufus said encouragingly, as he set up the switches on the control board. 'We did something good. You should be proud, Lucy.'

'He's right,' Wyatt said gently, and Lucy looked up at him. 'Without you, we'd never have figured out what Flynn's goal was.'

Lucy managed a small smile. 'The worrying thing is we don't know what his next goal will be.'

This fact plagued her throughout their traumatic journey from 1937 back through the temporal zone to 2016; along with the rattling and rumbling and clanking as the capsule shook them violently, immediately giving Lucy whiplash and a migraine, she kept hearing flashes of those terrifying things Flynn had said to her outside the burning Hindenburg…

' _I know everything about you. Your father's dead. You think you're meant to follow in your mother's footsteps, but you don't really want to…'…'I know what you're really meant to be, Lucy, and it isn't a teacher…'…'Just ask them why they really chose you for this mission. And ask them what Rittenhouse is…'_

When they landed, Lucy was out of the Lifeboat before the capsule door had even finished opening. She slipped down clumsily from the ship, her clothes torn and burnt, her hair a mess, her face black with smoke, and stared out at the Mason Industries staff, whose wide eyes were all on the Lifeboat and its passengers. Breathing heavily, still rather shaken by everything that had happened, Lucy felt a large wave of relief wash over her.

 _We made it. We're home._

Once they had been given time to clean up and sit down with some food and drink to help them recover slightly, Lucy, Wyatt and Rufus were then escorted back to the operations desks in the science lab to report their full account of what had happened during the mission. Jiya, the employee who had helped Lucy with her outfit earlier, had researched and opened up any online articles and data on the Hindenburg disaster so they could determine what had changed from the original timeline. Lucy read with baited breath as Connor Mason went over the events to everyone.

'"The Hindenburg exploded early morning May the 7th, 1937. It was bombed by the Anarchist Black Cross. There were only two casualties – journalist Kate Drummond and the man whose body was unable to be identified",' Mason read out, and Lucy watched Wyatt's face at the sound of Kate's name, her heart aching for him as she saw the pain overwhelm him.

'Okay, so-so to you, this is what's in the books? This is how it went down?' Wyatt asked.

'Of course,' Mason replied.

'And the anarchist group? Three suspects who escaped from jail and vanished without a trace?' Lucy said awkwardly.

'Yes?'

'That was…us,' Lucy announced heavily.

Agent Christopher frowned, shocked. 'What?'

'We had some issues,' Rufus said, looking uncomfortable.

'Flynn wanted a lot more than two casualties. He wanted to murder _everyone_ onboard, and we stopped him, but the Hindenburg…it wasn't supposed to happen like this,' Lucy said, dismayed, as she stared at the article presented on the computer screen. 'Flynn still changed history in-in ways I' – she sighed – 'in what ways I-I don't know yet.'

'Did you see him?' Agent Christopher asked.

Lucy hesitated. 'I spoke to him.'

'Really?' Agent Christopher looked most surprised. 'What did he say?'

'He said I should ask you why you chose me and what…"Rittenhouse" means?' Lucy said honestly.

Agent Christopher looked puzzled. 'I have no idea what he's talking about,' she said, confused, and when Lucy gave her a sceptical look, Agent Christopher looked furious. 'I don't _know_.'

There was an awkward silence.

'Rufus,' Mason said, 'where's Flynn now?'

'Uh, the Lifeboat's CPU says that he's back in present day, but who knows where,' Rufus answered.

'So…we _can't_ go back to '37? Give it another shot?' Wyatt asked desperately, and Lucy knew he was clinging to the possibility that he'd still be able to stop Kate from dying…or maybe even someone else.

' _No_ ,' Rufus replied firmly. 'Remember, we can't double-back to any place where we meet ourselves. There are no do-overs.'

'So what is Flynn after?' Mason asked wearily, sounding bitter and exhausted.

Lucy turned to him bravely. 'I have a theory,' she said, and she took a deep breath as everyone turned to face her expectantly. 'Any anti-government wack-job can get a few barrels of fertilizer and blow up a federal building, it's not going to really change anything. Our institutions are too established, but in the past, things were a lot more fragile. I…I think Flynn is trying to kill America in the crib. Rewrite history before it's even written.'

There was a pause as everyone took in what she had said. Wyatt looked shaken by her words.

'None of you are to say a word about any of this, under penalty of treason,' Agent Christopher said eventually, her tone ominous. 'If we need you, we'll call you.'

Lucy looked outraged. 'Wait-'

' _Need_ us?' Rufus said, frowning.

Agent Christopher marched forwards to glare at them, Lucy's speech having clearly made her angry with fear. 'Nothing has changed. Flynn is still out there, he still has the Mothership, and you are still our best option. When he uses it again, we will call you,' she said sharply.

There was a shocked silence before Mason tentatively stepped forward and tapped Rufus on the shoulder.

'Err, Rufus, can I talk to you for a minute in private?' Mason asked pointedly. 'Just a few technical questions about the flight.'

Rufus sighed. 'Sure…' he mumbled reluctantly, and he followed his boss away to another area of the work stations at the far end of the lab room.

Agent Christopher sighed at the two left behind. 'Look, I apologise for any inconvenience, but as of now, you two are both part-time employees of Mason Industries. Effective immediately,' Agent Christopher said, and Lucy exchanged a stunned look with Wyatt. 'We'll give you the necessary paperwork to fill out before you leave.'

'Do we get a choice in this?' Wyatt asked, sounding unimpressed.

'Not really,' Agent Christopher replied honestly, unconcerned. 'You two are experts in your field and the best we've got nearest this facility. You'll be undercover operatives working for Homeland Security until the assignment is over.'

'The assignment to catch Flynn? That could take weeks!' Lucy protested, incredulous.

'Oh, Lucy, after what happened back there and what you just told us, it could take months,' Agent Christopher said ominously, and she raised her eyebrows. 'You'll receive double the salary of what you're currently on for your trouble, if that's any comfort.'

Lucy glared fiercely at her. 'What if I refuse?'

'You have every right to,' Agent Christopher said, shrugging. 'But you'll be leaving Wyatt and Rufus alone in the dark, without a clue of what they're getting themselves into or what to say or where to go. They don't know the different eras like you do.'

'There are plenty of other historians in this area!' Lucy said impatiently.

'But none with your exceptional photographic memory. None with your passion. None with your ability to retain those important facts and know a time period inside out like the back of their palm,' Agent Christopher said patiently, and Lucy pursed her lips. 'You have a gift, Lucy. It's your duty to the government, and to America, to use it in order to protect its history.'

'That back there was a fluke. It was the Hindenburg! Obviously I'm gonna know every detail about that, I wouldn't be a decent historian if I didn't,' Lucy said exasperatedly. 'It was a historical event in time, it changed things, it was famous, everyone knows about it-'

'Which is why we think Flynn's going to target an event of equally huge proportions when he next takes out the Mothership,' Agent Christopher interrupted sombrely.

Lucy stared blankly at her, horrified.

'Well, it makes sense,' Wyatt said grimly, scratching his head. 'If he wants to destroy America in the crib, like you say, what better way than going back in time to change an event that helps America becomes the US that we know today?'

* * *

The next hour was taken up with endless security and confidential documents and employment contracts for them to sign. By the time they had finished and were allowed to go, it was almost midnight…on the following day. They had been gone a whole day, and Lucy could only just picture now Amy sat at home worried sick, having not heard from her older sister since the mysterious Agent Kondo had escorted her away the previous evening. After saying goodbye to Rufus, she followed Wyatt out of the building to the grounds outside, where cars were apparently waiting to take them both to their separate houses. Lucy wasn't sure whether she or Wyatt was the more eager one to get out of here and back to the comforts of home.

Wyatt held the creaky exit door open for her, but trudged on with a sour look on his battered face and a slight limp. She could tell he had been more injured in that fight on the Hindenburg that he'd let on.

'Hey,' Lucy said, and she and Wyatt looked at each other for a moment as they walked side by side into the car park, trying to read whatever it was going through the others' mind. 'When you shot Flynn…couple inches to the right, you would have blown my brains out. You just that good or was I just that expendable?'

They stopped walking and Wyatt tilted his head at her. Lucy was staring at him challengingly. He admired her fierce attitude, after everything they had been through today.

'Well, I guess I'm just that good…ma'am,' Wyatt said eventually, a half-smile on his face.

Lucy couldn't even be bothered to correct him; she could already see this stupid nickname was going to stick. 'Wyatt,' Lucy said, and he stopped and turned around. 'You asked Rufus about going back to your own timeline because you want to change what happened to your wife, right?'

Wyatt's face fell. He was in agony.

'But maybe the Hindenburg was meant to explode, Kate was meant to die. Maybe we don't get to make it up as we go,' Lucy murmured, trying to implore him to see reason. 'Maybe some things are just-'

'What? Fate?' Wyatt said sceptically.

There was contempt in his eyes as he looked at her, and he began to walk away. Lucy almost let him go as he opened the door to the car waiting for him, but then she caught up with him.

'You don't believe in that kind of stuff?' she asked, frowning.

Wyatt stopped and got back out of the car, leaning his arms on the open passenger door. 'What do you think?' he said sardonically, tilting his head at her.

'I don't know what to think, I barely know you,' Lucy pointed out.

'Well I'm sure in time you'll come to know me as the flawless guy that I am,' Wyatt said drily, about to slide back into the car.

'Actually, that reminds me – before you go, can I have your phone number?' Lucy asked, getting out her cell phone from her purse.

Wyatt smiled amusedly for the first time since coming back from 1937. 'That line actually worked?'

'That wasn't me making a pass at you, that was me asking my new colleague for contact details in case we need to get in touch,' Lucy said coolly, opening up a new contacts file on her cell phone. 'Y'know, because apparently we work together now.'

'Ah yes,' Wyatt said, frowning. 'Our new occupation as time-travelling…terrorist-catchers.'

Lucy rolled her eyes, trying but failing not to smile. 'Yeah, I can't wait to add that job title to my résumé.'

They exchanged phone numbers and then with that Lucy began to walk away, to the other end of the car park.

'Well, I guess I'll see you around maybe…if I haven't resigned after a good nights' sleep,' Lucy said, then she began to grimace. 'And Wyatt…I'm sorry if what I said just about Kate and the Hindenburg…well, I didn't mean to upset you.'

But Wyatt simply forced a sad smile and said, 'Goodnight, ma'am.'

She nodded, taking that as her cue to leave, and with an awkward wave began walking over to Agent Kondo's car; Wyatt watched her go, feeling thoughtful. No doubt Lucy had someone to go back to at home. Despite the signing of the confidential agreement, there was no way she would be able to keep this time-travelling adventure secret from her loved one, whoever it was. All Wyatt had to go back to was his beer and Netflix and framed photos of Jessica.

He wondered when he would next see Lucy again, or if she would indeed come to her senses and change her mind about the job offer, and therefore never be a part of the Lifeboat missions again after today's traumatic fiasco. Although Wyatt knew the best thing for her safety, both mentally and physically, would be for her to leave Mason Industries behind her and never look back, a selfish part of him hoped she would stay on. A persistent, bossy, insensitive know-it-all she may be, but he couldn't imagine any other historian doing as good a job…or being as equally nice, refreshing company. And as he watched Lucy's car drive off, Wyatt felt strangely more alone than he had felt in a very long time.

* * *

 **That's it for 1x01...thank you so much for reading! I hope it does the beginnings of the Lyatt relationship justice. I'll start writing the next chapters for 1x02 and 1x03 over the next few days and will publish as soon as I can.**

 **Also, I'm always eager for advice on how to improve my writing skills, so any reviews and constructive feedback would be really appreciated! Thanks :)**


	4. A Hand To Hold

**This chapter covers Episode 1x02. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

Wyatt had only been back home for half an hour before he got the call. Flynn and his henchmen, along with the Mason Industries employee Anthony (whom Flynn had kidnapped when he'd first infiltrated the facility) had taken out the Mothership again. Cursing himself for not taking a quick power-nap the moment he'd got back, Wyatt quickly washed his bloody cuts, grabbed his car keys, reloaded his gun and set off.

When Wyatt joined Rufus and Agent Christopher at Mason Industries, he expected Lucy to already be there, reciting some encyclopedia page about the significance of the date Flynn had chosen to travel to. However, when he arrived in the office at the top of the science lab, he was surprised to see that there was no sign of her. He spent the next twenty minutes wondering anxiously whether Lucy had simply refused to turn up - he wouldn't blame her, after their traumatising mission yesterday and their severe lack of sleep. He nearly called her on her cell phone - after all, why else had they exchanged numbers? - but just as the thought occurred to him, Lucy herself came hurrying through to join them, looking for some reason even more terrified than she had done at any point during their trip to 1937.

'Hey,' she said, in the same clothes from before and breathing heavily as she looked back and forth to Wyatt and Rufus, panic-stricken. 'What's changed in your lives?'

Wyatt looked confused. 'Wh-?'

'Since we got back from 1937, _what_ has changed for you?' Lucy asked impatiently, her face contorted with fear and despair.

'I just had an unsuccessful evening with a girl, so...nothing, really,' Rufus replied.

'Why? What's wrong?' Wyatt asked Lucy at once, concerned; she was shaking.

'My sister's gone,' she said, a tremor in her voice.

Wyatt frowned. 'Gone? Gone where?'

'Gone as in...erased from history,' Lucy said desperately, and he could tell she was fighting back tears of rage. 'Something that Flynn did or we did to the Hindenburg has changed my family. My mother isn't sick anymore, and my sister was never born!'

Her voice was out of control, almost hysterical, and Agent Christopher, Connor Mason and Jiya had come over to join them with frowns on their faces, curious about Lucy's evident distress.

'Lucy, we have a dossier on you, and it doesn't say anything about a sister,' Agent Christopher said slowly, looking at Lucy as if she had lost her mind.

Lucy was really beginning to panic now. She had to get them to believe her. She had to get them to do something to help her set things right. She had been so happy when she'd entered her house to see her mother there, with her long glossy blonde hair and warm smile as she chopped up ingredients at the kitchen counter like nothing had been wrong at all...but then when she had asked who Amy was. My God. Lucy had never expected to feel anything like it, like her whole world had been rent apart. She had been feeling like she might throw up ever since.

'Look, this is her right here,' Lucy said urgently; she'd opened up the locket attached to her necklace...the locket in which Amy's photograph was still firmly in place.

Mason took the locket in his hands and stared at the photo in amazement. 'You wore this on the trip back to 1937?' he said, dazed. 'That is incredible. You took it from a timeline where your sister existed, carried it here...to where she doesn't.'

Enraged, Lucy snatched the locket back from Mason's fingers and glared at him. 'I do _not_ share your excitement, Mr. Mason. Whatever changed, you have to change back,' Lucy said, her voice shaking with fury. 'Change it _back_!'

'I'm sorry, Lucy, but Flynn is hours ahead of us. We don't have time for this,' Agent Christopher said urgently.

'Why not? We have a time machine, don't we?' Lucy pointed out, outraged, and she turned desperately to Wyatt and Rufus for back-up.

Rufus was quiet, his eyes fixed on the floor, a guilty look on his face. Wyatt's face was set in a frown, and he was scowling at Agent Christopher. Lucy had never seen him look so angry.

'Flynn could be decimating history right now. Our reality could change like that any second,' Agent Christopher said sharply. 'You need to go.

' _Not_ until we figure this out,' Lucy protested, almost pleadingly, and she wished with all her might that she would not start crying.

Agent Christopher was looking annoyed now. 'Lucy-' she began, but Wyatt cut over her.

'Hey, you dragged her into all this,' he snapped, furious. 'She just lost her sister. Give her a damn minute.'

Agent Christopher stared at him, shocked and momentarily speechless. Her lips trembling, Lucy inclined her head to look at Wyatt; their eyes met. He hoped she could see just how truly sorry he was for what had happened to her, just as she hoped he could see how grateful - not to mention, surprised - she felt by his words, by his thoughtfulness.

'Flynn went back to April 14, 1865,' Agent Christopher went on urgently, and Wyatt tore his eyes away from Lucy as Christopher fixed him with a stern look. 'Now, you need to get moving, and _you_ need to eliminate Garcia Flynn. Are we clear?'

If it had been any other date, Lucy would probably have said no. She would have probably screamed and shouted until some decent human being in charge within this facility listened to her and came up with a plan of what to do. But there was no avoiding the fact that April the 14th, 1865 was something she could never let Flynn interfere with. She had to force herself to realise that some things, like the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, had to take priority over her own personal vendetta.

Wyatt couldn't stop worrying about Lucy as he and Rufus retrieved some old armies' uniforms that would help them pass off as soldiers in 1865. He didn't remember if Lucy had mentioned having a sister yesterday. But then again, why would he? Amy Preston had never existed. Only she _had_. Lucy had the photograph in her locket and the memories to prove it. Something they or Flynn had done in 1937 had somehow changed Lucy's present, in such an unthinkable way that Wyatt was simply astonished that Lucy was managing to function at all. If her sister had died unexpectedly, that would have been one thing. But for Amy to never have even been born at all? It was beyond terrible, and Lucy was the last person who deserved anything like that to happen to her. It wasn't fair...she'd had practically no choice but to cooperate when she had been brought in by Homeland Security, and now as a result of Lucy simply carrying out her duty, she had lost her sibling, with no idea how and therefore no hope of getting her back.

Wyatt expected Lucy to need a little more time to recover and possibly have a cry once they had gotten dressed but he was wrong; she approached the Lifeboat not long after he and Rufus had got strapped in, and it was clear from her face that her mind was set, her head in the game. She was putting thoughts of Amy on the backbench for now, and focusing instead entirely on how to stop Flynn messing with her idol's murder.

She climbed up through the capsule door with even more difficulty than before, mainly due to the ridiculously big burgundy dress she'd been forced into, and Wyatt reached out a hand to stop her from tripping over herself.

'Okay, uh, whoah, whoa!' Wyatt protested, as Lucy whacked him with her underskirts, agitated.

'Sorry,' Lucy murmured distractedly, hatred pouring from her eyes as she once more looked around the infernal machine that had already caused so much damage after just one trip.

Wyatt could tell she was extremely nervous to be back in here - and who could really blame her, after what had happened last time, and what she had come back to?

'Just sit,' Wyatt said firmly, trying to calm her down.

She sat down opposite him, breathing heavily and looking like she was about to have a panic attack. Wyatt sighed and leaned forward.

'Here, let me,' he offered, and he reached out to help her with her seatbelts.

He began to buckle her in, making sure her straps were tight and secure enough, and Lucy felt her breathing slow down as her eyes fell upon Wyatt's face. She was scared and angry, but, although she not entirely reassured by Jiya's promise to try and look into what had happened to Amy while they would be away on their mission, it was somewhat comforting to know that there was someone on Lucy's side. Not just Jiya actually - Wyatt, as well. Just his presence, his calm persona, the gentle way in which he was strapping her in, the fact that he was trying to comfort her...it was already making her feel slightly better.

Wyatt gazed up at Lucy now and couldn't seem to take his eyes away as he continued to fasten her into her seat. The bonnet on her head really suited her; with her hair tied back, it emphasised the shape of her face.

'I was really hoping I'd never have to get in this damn thing again,' Lucy muttered bitterly.

Testing the length and security of Lucy's straps, Wyatt then removed his hands from the buckled seatbelts and took a deep breath. 'Lucy, I'm sorry about your sister,' he said sincerely.

It was the first time he had spoken her name. He was amazed she was still coming on this mission, after what she had just discovered back at home. She really was an inspiring woman, Wyatt had to admit.

'Thank you,' Lucy murmured, 'for backing me with Agent Christopher.'

His eyes were so stunningly blue as he continued to gaze at her. _No, stop it_ , Lucy thought to herself fiercely, _you cannot get attached_.

Wyatt leaned back in his seat to test his own seatbelts. 'Trust me. We're gonna fix it,' he said reassuringly, and Lucy felt herself smile for the first time since discovering that Amy had gone. 'We're gonna fix everything.'

* * *

They arrived in 1865 in time to see the fireworks celebration going on in the sky above them; the Civil War had just ended, and Lucy momentarily forgot about her sickness and whiplash and grief, as she gazed in wonder at the sight before her, at the history that had been made today. She had spent years of dedicated research studying and teaching this very period, this very _day_ , and now here she was. It was still so hard to believe.

They lay low until dawn broke, figuring they wouldn't get any success finding Flynn in the middle of the night. They took the opportunity to try and get a couple of hours' sleep in the Lifeboat, having still not recovered from yesterday's exhausting mission, and then made their way towards Ford's Theatre, where Lucy knew that John Wilkes Booth, the man planning to assassinate Lincoln, would collect his mail at 10am. Wyatt was impressed, not to mention relieved, to find out that Lucy had actually written one of the books all about John Wilkes Booth and the story of what he did this very day. He was optimistic that they might even have a proper chance this time to stop whatever Flynn was planning to change the assassination that would take place tonight. Although, from exchanging a look with Rufus, he knew he wasn't alone in thinking that if Flynn somehow changed the assassination so that Lincoln didn't actually die, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing. After all, Lincoln was working to abolish all slavery for African Americans; if he stayed alive after today, it would improve the future for Rufus's ancestors and so many others in ways that were too good to be true. Maybe they could actually stop the assassination and use the time machine to do some good in the world. He doubted that Lucy would take this view, however...something she later confirmed later that afternoon when they had taken refuge in a grubby hotel room not far from the theatre.

Wyatt had been hit in the middle of a shootout with Flynn's henchmen, and Lucy and Rufus had been left with no choice but to abandon Flynn - where he was poisoning John Wilkes Booth's mind with God knows what kind of manipulative, evil suggestions - to get shelter and much-needed medical attention for Wyatt. As they waited for Rufus to hurry back with supplies, Lucy nervously helped Wyatt off with his blood-stained shirt, flinching at the sight of his injury. She stared at his bare toned chest, his muscled arms…the massive deep hole in his torso, blood spilling out rapidly. She couldn't believe how he wasn't yelling out in agony. She was even more in awe of his bravery when Rufus returned and, under Wyatt's calm guided instruction, used a sterilized knife to get the bullet out of his stomach. Scared that she would faint from the sight of the bloody, pulsing bullet wound, Lucy distracted herself by focusing instead on working out why Flynn had introduced modern firepower to John Wilkes Booth.

While Rufus dealt with Wyatt's bullet, Lucy paced up and down the hotel room, deliberating aloud about what Flynn's aim could possibly be. Lincoln's death had been famously part of a much larger conspiracy to kill the four most powerful men in government in one fell swoop: Lincoln, Vice President Johnson, Secretary of State Seward, and General Grant. The other shooters had either never followed through or just failed outright with this devastating plan, but now Flynn had brought them semiautomatic weapons, Lucy and the others couldn't help wondering whether Flynn was trying to help them succeed. If this was the case, and those other three men were also killed, then it would cripple the Union, revive the Confederacy, and prevent Johnson and Grant from becoming Presidents…it would make America, as they knew it, completely unrecognisable.

Lucy left once they had come to this realisation, to try and set things right by first checking that Grant would be getting the train out of town that he had originally been supposed to get. Wyatt didn't like leaving her to fend for herself out there, with Flynn and his dangerous henchmen, but she had fled from the room before he had a chance to come up with another sensible option. Besides, there was no chance of him moving to go after her anyway…he was too busy lying still enough so that Rufus would be able to get the damn bullet out from under his skin.

When Lucy returned half an hour later, she was looking more harassed and panicked than ever…but it was the large box she carried under her arm that made Wyatt frown.

'Um…you went shopping?' Wyatt asked sceptically from his bed, the bullet finally removed from his wound now.

Lucy took a deep breath as she put the box down on the other bed. 'Robert Lincoln invited me to a play,' she announced reluctantly, her cheeks colouring slightly.

Wyatt felt a strange twinge of annoyance. Robert was the kind, over-friendly man she had met by the mail in the theatre this morning, before the shootout. She had introduced herself to him as an actress called Juliet Shakesman, apparently – clearly trying to impress.

'A play?' Rufus said, looking round at her with a perplexed look on his face. 'You mean, _the_ play?

'General Grant's gonna be there tonight,' Lucy went on. 'Flynn sabotaged his train.'

Wyatt felt his stomach drop. 'You saw Flynn,' he said, struggling to sit up in his bed as he gazed up at Lucy in terror, full of guilt…he knew it had been a mistake to let her go out there alone. What would he have done if something had happened to her?

Lucy swallowed. 'I saw him leaving the train station,' she replied after a slight hesitation, avoiding Wyatt's eye contact, and there was a stilted pause as Wyatt frowned at her. 'The point is, Grant's gonna be there tonight, and…I've gotta save him.'

'How, exactly?' Wyatt asked cynically.

'I don't know,' Lucy said helplessly, as she unpacked her box containing her new outfit for tonight and spread out the accessories on the bed distractedly. 'I'll, uh, get Grant out of the balcony before Booth shows up? Somehow.'

''Kay, I'm pretty sure we can come up with a better plan than that,' Wyatt said, as he began to wrap a bandage around his stomach.

'Will these help?' Lucy asked, breathing heavily, and Wyatt's eyes widened as he looked at the two antique pistol guns she was holding up – clearly, she had been for shopping for more than just a fancy evening dress.

'Nice, and I assume with all that, we're gonna save everybody but Lincoln?' Rufus asked crossly.

Lucy looked round at him sternly and shook her head. 'Rufus-'

'All you have to do is open your mouth to save him,' Rufus pointed out, angry and utterly bewildered. 'And you're just gonna let Booth shoot him in the head?'

'Do you think… _any_ of this is easy for me?' Lucy said desperately, and Rufus's face fell. 'My whole life, I've idolized Lincoln. When I was a little girl, I-I would memorize his speeches.'

'Well then, _do_ something.'

'We would come back to an _entirely_ different world. Who knows if it would be better or if there would be anything left to come back to at all?' Lucy said imploringly, looking back and forth between Wyatt and Rufus, and wishing they would stop looking at her like she were some heartless robot. 'The present isn't perfect, but it's ours. Awful as it is, what happens to Lincoln is meant to be.'

There was a silence as the two men tried to comprehend her logic.

'What about my wife?' Wyatt asked, his voice breaking on the last word, and there was a horrified pause as Lucy and Rufus looked up at him. ''Cause by your logic, you're saying that bad things like…my wife's death…are "meant to be". You wouldn't use the time machine to save her either?'

He stared at her, trying to read whatever was going through her mind. He knew he'd put her in a difficult position, but he wanted to know her stance on this. And he could see it clearly from the way she simply stood there in uncomfortable silence, her eyes eventually flickering away to avoid his penetrating gaze.

Wyatt almost felt his heart break again. 'Wow,' he whispered, straightening up, surprised by how capable this woman was of hurting him. 'You _are_ saying that.'

Lucy's face twitched and she began shaking her head rapidly, looking down at the bed, but the damage was already done. The disappointment in her was etched in every feature of Wyatt's expression.

'So…' Wyatt said, getting up from his bed and covering up his pain with ease as he walked over to Lucy. 'Your sister is supposed to live, and my wife is supposed to die? Is that it?'

'That's not fair,' Lucy murmured, still shaking her head.

'You just lost your sister,' Wyatt said, frowning at her, 'and you're gonna sit next to Robert Lincoln and let him lose his father?'

Lucy stared back at him. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know how she could justify her logic, and it killed her to see that look of hatred in Wyatt's eyes as he frowned down at her. Maybe Wyatt and Rufus had a point after all…maybe she was the one in the wrong. Maybe she was just as monstrous as Flynn.

* * *

The sharp tap on the hotel room door came far too quickly for Lucy, having not had time to mentally prepare herself for the ordeal she was about to put herself through.

'Mr. Robert Todd Lincoln downstairs for Miss Shakesman.'

'I'll be down in a minute,' Lucy called anxiously, and she emerged from behind the wooden dressing screen looking incredibly nervous…and incredibly beautiful.

Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear and checking the inside of her purse, she turned to Wyatt and Rufus sat on the cosy chairs in front of her and gave them an awkward look.

'Um…' She gestured her outfit, hoping for some kind of indication of approval that she looked decent.

The dress Lucy wore was an off-white colour, with off-the-shoulder sleeves decorated with blue frilly lace, and a long puffy skirt embroidered with blue floral patterns. She wore a splendid set of sparkling jewellery to finish off the look, and she looked stunning.

Wyatt blinked rapidly as he took in the sight before him, and, though he did not particularly like Lucy after their strained discussion earlier, he couldn't help smiling as he looked her up and down. Lucy gave a faint smile in return, relieved; she'd only needed that familiar sly twitch of Wyatt's lips to reassure her that she was good to go.

'Uh…' She walked over tentatively to him and he carefully placed one of the pistol guns in her hand, which she put into her purse. 'Now, please. You'll save Secretary of State Seward? And you'll save Vice President Johnson?' she asked them both anxiously.

Wyatt looked over at Rufus, irritated. 'Yeah, we got it,' Wyatt replied, though Lucy didn't miss the annoyed tone in his voice.

She wondered how long he would remain bitter at her for simply having different views regarding the importance of fixed historical events in time. Knowing it was useless trying to talk sense into him now, Lucy walked away, grabbing her long coat and heading for the door, when Rufus spoke up.

'Lucy, just…' Rufus paused and gazed at her imploringly. 'Think about who _you_ save.'

Lucy stared back, shaken by his words, and gave Wyatt one last hard look before marching out of the door to meet Robert Lincoln. Wyatt looked away as she shut the door firmly, and passed the other pistol gun over to Rufus.

'She looks good,' Rufus said, somewhat grudgingly, and his eyebrows flickered in Wyatt's direction as he watched him.

'Yeah,' Wyatt admitted heavily, 'she really does.'

'Poor Robert won't know what to do with himself,' Rufus said, laughing, and Wyatt rolled his eyes irritably before changing the subject.

* * *

Hours later at Ford's Theatre, Lucy felt like she was in some sort of trance as she sat beside Robert Lincoln and pretended to watch the play being performed below while waiting for the inevitable. Ever since she had been old enough to learn about it, Lucy had always dwelled on the devastating repercussions of Abraham Lincoln's death, of what a tragedy it had been that he had not been able to set forth his plans to make America greater and introduce equal rights for all. She'd even daydreamed as a child about the changes he could have made and the amazing things he could have done to change the world for the better…if only someone had been able to stop the assassination taking place.

And now here she was. Sat not far from President Lincoln himself in his box. Just waiting for it to happen. She could feel her eyes watering, her hands shaking…and then she heard the door swing open behind her, considerably later than she had expected it to, and spun round in her chair to see that it was Flynn in the doorway holding a pistol gun, not John Wilkes Booth. Flynn froze for a moment at the sight of Lucy, clearly having not expected her to be there, then aimed his gun.

'No! Mr President!' Lucy shrieked in despair, without thinking, but it was too late – knocking Robert Lincoln unconscious, Flynn pointed the pistol and shot Abraham Lincoln cleanly in the back of the head.

Lucy screamed out and clutched her face in horror, but forced herself to fight against Flynn – after all, there was still General Grant here in the box to protect. After a struggle, she grabbed the pistol from her purse that Wyatt had given her, but Flynn was too quick for her and jumped down from the presidential box to escape. Lucy wondered if she would have been able to shoot him anyway, despite what he had just done.

It came as a huge relief for Lucy to see Wyatt and Rufus an hour after the assassination had taken place. She had spent a considerable amount of time reporting to a police officer about what had happened – though she'd made sure to include John Wilkes Booth in her story – and, after Wyatt and Rufus had confirmed that they had managed to save the other two men from being shot, Lucy wanted nothing more than to just go home.

As they made their way back, stunned and exhausted, to the Lifeboat, Lucy couldn't help picturing the grief, the pain in Robert Lincoln's eyes as he'd said goodbye to her once his father had been pronounced dead.

'I wish I could have saved your father,' Lucy had told him desperately.

But Robert had shaken his head. 'There was nothing you could have done.'

He was wrong though. She could have stopped it. Wyatt and Rufus had been right. She'd known in advance, she could have warned him, she could have done something…she _should_ have stopped it.

It was Lucy's turn to help Wyatt climb up into the capsule of the Lifeboat this time – his gunshot wound was still causing him pain and needed urgent medical attention. As soon as she'd helped him into his seat inside the ship, she collapsed into the seat opposite and for the first time noticed the stains on her skirt. She hadn't realised that her dress was soaked in Abraham Lincoln's blood.

As Wyatt groaned and winced, and Rufus tapped away on the keypads and controls to trace the CPU of the Mothership, Lucy simply stared into space, seeing and feeling nothing. She was still shaking.

'Flynn's back in the present,' Rufus then announced heavily. 'Let's go home.'

There was a silence as Wyatt and Rufus began to strap themselves in. But Lucy hadn't even thought about her seatbelt. She couldn't think about anything else apart from the horror she had just witnessed.

'I decided I was gonna let it happen,' Lucy murmured in a small voice, staring at nothing in particular. 'But then I called out to warn him. It was too late.'

She was shaking her head, and gazing at Rufus with a look of deep sorrow in her watery eyes. Wyatt frowned as he noticed that there was dried blood on her neck from when Flynn had shot Lincoln. The sight shook him to his very core. He couldn't believe he had let her put herself at risk like that. She could have been shot dead herself, and it would have been entirely his fault.

Lucy looked like she was about to cry at any minute. 'It's one thing to talk about history like this abstract thing. But when the man gets shot right in front of you…I tried,' she whispered helplessly.

Wyatt looked at her for a moment – dishevelled and blood-stained, her hair a mess and her mascara smudged, her tearful eyes begging for forgiveness – and then slowly leaned forward; he reached out and took her hand. Desperately trying not to cry, Lucy looked down gratefully at their intertwined hands and then back up at Wyatt's sympathetic gaze, and she knew then that she was not alone.

Lucy hadn't exactly warmed to Wyatt until that moment. Sure, she'd thought he was attractive (after all, she wasn't blind) and a charmer. But it was only now, as his thumb brushed her hand softly, that she started to actually like him as a person. He wasn't a reckless, selfish soldier who was only fixed on the mission and taking orders, like she'd previously surmised. He was caring. Even after their disagreement earlier this evening, he'd put it behind him so that he could be there for her in this moment of turmoil. It was small comfort after what she had just experienced tonight, but it was certainly better than nothing. And so she squeezed his hand in return and managed to give him a small smile, knowing now that at least she had a friend in all this madness.

* * *

Wyatt was taken to an emergency medical team the moment they arrived back in 2016. While the doctors saw to him, Lucy was relieved to find out that not much of history had been altered – only that a tall mysterious gunman had killed Lincoln, but that the assassination had been planned by John Wilkes Booth as part of a larger conspiracy. She had even left her own legacy behind as Juliet Shakesman, the obscure actress who had saved General Grant. She tried to view these results positively, but could only be troubled by it; what if someone else's life had changed drastically as a result of the small changes they'd made? What if someone else had been erased from existence, and no one had even realised?

After their briefing and a quick private meeting with Jiya, Lucy showered and changed, allowing a few tears to fall as she aggressively soaked off Lincoln's blood from her body, and then got ready to leave, wondering when she would next be summoned back to Mason Industries to get back in that terrible machine. At this rate, she would probably end up getting fired from Stanford University for simply not showing up to work – she couldn't exactly tell the truth about where she had been. Before reaching the building exit, Lucy decided spontaneously to make a detour into the medical room where Wyatt was being held, to check how he was doing. When she knocked on the door and entered, she found him sat down on his own, apparently waiting for his doctor to return, and he was topless. His bandages were torn slightly, and drenched in blood.

'Hey,' Lucy greeted softly, trying not to let her eyes wander to his bare torso…but she didn't fool him.

'Shall I make myself decent?' Wyatt said, a hint of a flirtatious smile on his face.

Lucy rolled her eyes as she walked into the room. 'Calm down, I've already seen you without your shirt off.'

'So…to what do I owe this pleasure, ma'am?' he asked, and Lucy glared at him; would he _ever_ stop calling her that?

'I just wanted to check how your injury's doing, and…well, I wondered if you wanted a lift home,' Lucy said, trying to play it casual. 'Agent Christopher says you don't live too far from me, I could drop you off?'

'Thanks, but I'm all right. I'm gonna call a cab after the medic's given me some more stitches,' Wyatt replied, and he winced slightly as he shuffled in his seat.

'Are you sure?'

'Yeah, don't wait around for me. You go home,' Wyatt urged, and he smiled. 'Spend some time with your mother.'

Lucy's face fell. 'You know what, I'm not sure if I can handle doing that,' she admitted, running a hand through her hair.

'Because Amy won't be there?' Wyatt asked sympathetically.

'Not just that,' Lucy said heavily, and she turned to face Wyatt with her arms folded; he was watching her questioningly, a frown on his face. 'Jiya looked into what happened to Amy. It turns out that my mom and my dad, Henry, never got married in this timeline. My dad married the granddaughter of some girl who should have died in the Hindenburg but didn't. It explains why my mom doesn't have lung cancer – my dad was the one who got her smoking, but seeming as they never met…no smoking, no cancer. And it explains why Amy was never born.'

Wyatt looked confused. 'So how come you haven't vanished from existence as well?'

'Because Henry was never my real biological father.'

A short silence followed her words.

'Damn,' Wyatt whispered eventually; would this poor woman ever get a break?

'Yeah. My mom's one hell of a liar, I'll give her that,' Lucy said bitterly, leaning against one of the counters, and she closed her eyes for a few moments, trying to clear her head. 'Don't get me wrong, I'm not a monster, I'm…obviously I'm so happy that she's not terminally ill, God knows it's all I've wanted for nearly a year, but…to go back home to her now and face her, knowing the lies she's told me, the secrets she's kept…' She trailed off, downcast.

Wyatt tilted his head at her. 'Hey. You've posed as a hijacking terrorist and survived an explosion on the Hindenburg. You've saved a future President of America from being shot, not to mention watch your favourite historical figure ever being killed right in front of you. If you can live through that, you can do anything,' he said gently. 'Just talk to your mom. Tell her you've found out the truth, tell her everything, and let her talk about it and explain why she did what she did. You deserve that.'

'And what about Amy? I just let that slide?' Lucy asked helplessly, her voice wavering. 'I just accept the fact that…something Flynn did in the past erased my innocent sister from existence, without my mom even remembering her?'

Wyatt sighed. 'That's not up to me, Lucy. That's something you need to work on with Agent Christopher, see if there's anything that can be done. But you heard Rufus yesterday…there are no do-overs,' he said, and there was a pause as he tried to accept that fact himself. 'Are you all right?'

'No. I'm not,' Lucy admitted, and she took a deep breath. 'But I'm hoping I will be, eventually.'

'You will,' Wyatt encouraged, nodding.

'What about you? You okay?'

Wyatt shrugged. 'Meh, it's just a bullet hole in my skin, it's nothing,' he said, and his lips twitched at the half-exasperated, half-amused look on Lucy's face.

'Actually, I didn't mean about your injury,' she said quietly. 'Wyatt, are we good?'

'As in, moral people, or…?'

'As in, you and me, are we okay with each other? Are you still mad at me, after what I said today?' Lucy asked, concerned and guilt-ridden, and Wyatt looked down, a slight smile on his face. 'Because…you have every right to be if you are. I understand.'

He looked up at her and held out his hand. 'We're good,' he promised, and with a tentative smile Lucy shook his hand. 'Good luck talking to your mom tonight.'

'Thanks,' Lucy said gratefully, as she headed back towards the door. 'I'll need it.'

But confronting her mother about the truth of her biological parentage wasn't all Lucy needed to be prepared for, because when she arrived home that evening she quickly discovered that she had arrived late to her own engagement party…and that was when she met her fiancé for the very first time.


	5. Western Union

**This chapter covers Episode 1x03 :)**

* * *

It was a few days later when Lucy and the others were forced to take out the Lifeboat again. Flynn had taken the Mothership to Las Vegas on September 21st, 1962; Lucy spent a few minutes to research the date on the Mason Industries computers and quickly found out that on that particular date, President Kennedy had been in town for a DNC fund raiser at the Sands hotel, where Frank Sinatra was headlining. The place would undoubtedly be filled with celebrities, politicians, Mafia etc.; if Flynn killed any of them, it would be a disaster, and so Lucy, Wyatt and Rufus had to get there first to stop whatever he was planning.

Lucy entered the Lifeboat clumsily wearing a yellow satin dress and a great deal of hairspray; Wyatt watched her with flickering eyebrows as she sat down awkwardly. He automatically leaned forward to help her with her seatbelts, but paused when he noticed her finger.

'Something you want to tell us?' he asked in a would-be casual voice, as he fastened the straps around her waist.

'Huh?'

'Your rock,' Wyatt clarified, indicating the glistening ring on her finger. 'Is that part of the costume?'

Lucy held out her hand to stare at the ring she could still scarcely believe was on there. 'Oh. No, apparently…I'm engaged,' she announced, slightly bitterly.

'Congratulations?' Rufus said uncertainly.

Wyatt was staring at Lucy. 'To _who_?' he asked, almost accusingly.

Lucy rolled her eyes. 'Exactly. His name is Noah. I've never met him before, but there's all these pictures of us on vacation that I have no memory of,' she said ominously, while Wyatt grabbed the rest of her seatbelts and swivelled her seat round to make sure she was buckled in securely, all the while watching her expression carefully. 'I mean, ever since that we got back from the Hindenburg, my life has completely changed overnight.'

'You gonna take his name or are you gonna keep yours?' Wyatt said playfully, unable to stop himself smirking.

'I don't even know his last name,' Lucy admitted, covering up her hands with white gloves.

'Well, look on the bright side,' Wyatt said once he'd done, and he leaned back to sort out his own seatbelts.

Lucy raised her eyebrows at him. 'There's a bright side?'

'You still got the honeymoon to look forward to,' Wyatt said teasingly, grinning, and he winked at her in a way that made Lucy's heart nearly leap out of her chest.

Moments later, they arrived in the desert just outside of Vegas, and climbed out of the Lifeboat in time to see an explosion resulting from the nearby nuclear test site – hence its name, 'Atomic City'. Lucy was impressed to discover that Wyatt seemed to know a great deal about the military history of this particular area; it would hopefully come in useful when they reached the centre of town and tried to figure out what Flynn and his men were up to.

They reached the hotel after not much of a walk, but they barely had time to admire the live music of Frank Sinatra or the costumes and party atmosphere before Lucy and Wyatt had already started bickering about whether to prioritise taking out Flynn or keeping these historical celebrities safe.

'What, so you just get to make this call?' Lucy was saying sceptically. 'No debate?'

'No, there's no debate,' Wyatt argued back, frowning at her as if it were obvious.

Lucy was about to retort when Rufus then returned to them with uniforms that he had sneaked out from the staff room, so they would all be able to get past security into the show where Sinatra was currently performing.

'Really?' Lucy said sceptically, holding out the skimpy lacy little piece of clothing Rufus had handed her. 'You couldn't have found me a thong?'

'It's a cigarette girl's uniform,' Rufus replied indignantly.

Wyatt gave one look at the sexy (albeit degrading) uniform in Lucy's hands and her expression, and then a large sly smile broke out on his face, amused. This was going to be interesting.

'Hey, I didn't invent Vegas,' Rufus said innocently.

'Well, go back and invent me a waitress uniform,' Lucy said firmly, passing the uniform back to him.

'Got it.'

Once he had left, Lucy gave Wyatt an annoyed look; he simply smiled slyly back at her and shrugged.

'For what it's worth, I think you would have looked pretty good in that,' Wyatt said, and Lucy's lips twitched as she flashed him a sceptical look.

'Oh, really?'

'Sure. You can carry any kind of look off well. I would imagine,' Wyatt added hastily.

'I'm not parading around a hotel function room filled with celebrities in some stupid lingerie, thanks, I'll save that for the bedroom,' Lucy muttered, and then her eyes widened, immediately regretting her words.

But Wyatt didn't seem to find it inappropriate at all; on the contrary, he was grinning like an idiot at her comment. 'I hope Noah knows that,' he said playfully, and Lucy slapped his arm.

Twenty minutes later found the three of them wandering around the function room, dressed as waiters, with Sinatra himself singing 'Luck Be A Lady' out to the tables filled with famous historical figures and celebrities. As she held out her tray filled with drinks and passed out glasses of wine and martini, Lucy couldn't help noticing just how _fine_ Wyatt looked over at the other side of the room in that white crisp uniform. It made her more self-conscious of the lacy black sleeveless top and tight-fitting skirt she wore; something made only worse when a gentleman slapped her playfully as she passed. Wyatt noticed this and in his fury got almost side-tracked by his goal to locate Flynn, but luckily a woman who turned out to be Judith Campbell came to Lucy's rescue before he'd had a chance to cross over to the other end of the room to punch the disrespectful man.

It later transpired that it was Judith Campbell herself who was Flynn's target, rather than any of the other famous figures assembled in the function room to enjoy Sinatra's crooning. Wyatt only just managed to stop Flynn from kidnapping her in time, and after a bit of a scuffle behind the scenes of the function room, Flynn got away. Lucy and the others took Judith Campbell to safety and hid her in one of the hotel rooms, during which time Lucy revealed to Wyatt and Rufus that Judith Campbell was actually President John F. Kennedy's mistress, and that Flynn must have been blackmailing her for something – after all, she was a vital figure in 1960s politics, and had some of the most powerful men in the world wrapped around her finger.

Wyatt ended up getting angry with Judith Campbell, even to the point where he threatened to tie her up so that she would comply and tell the truth, and he had clearly given up on playing coy. Flynn was getting to him, that much was evident, and Lucy wanted Flynn to be stopped just as much, but she was feeling deeply infuriated with Wyatt's attitude. Throughout the day, she had tried and tried to alert Wyatt to the importance of these people at the hotel, these people whose lives could be in severe danger, but he'd kept dismissing her, saying the only thing that mattered was finding Flynn. He seemed to hold no regard for her advice or wisdom, as if he suddenly thought a historian accompanying him and Rufus on this trip was entirely pointless, and it was very much starting to anger Lucy. She'd thought that he respected her, but apparently not. And that was why it came as such a shock to Lucy when Judith Campbell expressed that she viewed their strained professional relationship to be somewhat different.

'So, you and Brooding Blue-Eyes in the next room,' Judith said playfully, indicating the doorway to the room where Wyatt had disappeared through, and she smiled slyly up at Lucy. 'You sleeping with him?'

'What?' Lucy said at once, mortified, and she closed her eyes. 'Err… _no_.'

Rufus, who had been keeping a watch out of the window, looked round at Lucy and frowned. She was blushing.

'He could use it. He's wound pretty tight,' Judith noted, and Lucy wished in that very moment that she could just sink through the floor.

How could this fascinating woman see right through her? Because Judith sort of had a point…after all, it wasn't like Lucy _hadn't_ thought about it. Wyatt was an attractive guy in every sense; he was brave, caring, heroic, thoughtful, ambitious, flirty, determined, witty, handsome…but he was lost, and that was why Lucy could do nothing about whatever stirrings she had for him. Wyatt was lost in the memory of his wife, he was lost in the shadow of half the person he used to be before Jessica's death, and he was lost in the hope that there could be a chance – now they had access to a time machine – that he could get it all back, that he would no longer be a crushed, broken soul…that he could prevent Jessica's death.

And so it came as no surprise to Lucy, after Judith Campbell had double-crossed them and went willingly with Flynn, that she came across a defeated-looking Wyatt stood by the telegraph stand under a sign saying 'Western Union'. He was speaking to the man behind the counter, sounding desperate. Lucy sighed sadly as she watched from afar; she knew she should have seen this coming.

'2012?' the man behind the counter was saying to Wyatt sceptically. 'You want this telegram delivered 50 years from now?'

'Look, you said you can do it anytime, anywhere,' Wyatt said irritably. 'Can you do it or not?'

'Hey, it's your money,' the man said, bemused, and he moved over to his typewriter. 'What do you want the message to say?'

Wyatt was silent for a while, taking some time to think – this was his chance, after all – then took a deep breath. '"Jessica. I know this might be hard to understand,"' he began, and the man began clanking on the keys. '"But whatever happens on Saturday, February 11th, 2012…go home with Wyatt."'

There was a pause as the typewriter looked round at Wyatt, stunned. Lucy could tell from the way Wyatt's voice shook that he was crying, or about to. And it broke her heart.

'"Even if he's being an ass,"' Wyatt continued, his lips trembling. '"Just let him take you home. And know that he loves you…more than you'll ever know." Yeah. Thanks.'

Nodding his head, he dumped a wad of cash that Agent Christopher had given him on the counter, praying internally that he wasn't getting his hopes up for nothing. When he turned to leave, he froze; Lucy was stood right there, her expression hard to read as she gazed at him. Wyatt closed his bloodshot eyes for a moment, resigned to the fact that she had probably heard every word and was going to tell him off for risking the timeline and changing history again. It didn't help that she looked breathtakingly beautiful.

Wyatt then opened his eyes to face her, caught out, but couldn't find it in himself to feel guilty for what he had just done. 'Worked in 'Back to the Future II',' he pointed out hopelessly.

He couldn't really look at her as he walked past. Lucy wasn't surprised; they had argued fiercely earlier, to the point where Lucy had nearly shouted and cried simultaneously, when Wyatt had decided, without Lucy's agreement, to use Judith as bait to draw Flynn in. Their yells were still going through her mind… _'This is not a game!'…'You don't give the orders.'…'You got a problem?'…'Try and stop me.'_

His head had not been in the game, Lucy should have seen that earlier. When Judith had betrayed Wyatt and gone straight to Flynn, Wyatt had simply given up and stormed away, ignoring Lucy's panicked questions about what they were supposed to do now. He was so broken. And in spite of everything, she couldn't bring herself to be cross or stern with him. She understood – or, she could try to understand.

Lucy turned and watched his retreating figure. 'Wyatt,' she said calmly.

Wyatt stopped walking and turned back to face her wearily, clearly wanting her to just leave him alone. 'I know what you're gonna say,' he muttered.

'No, you don't,' Lucy said indignantly, and she walked up to him; he gazed back at her in surprise. 'Look. I understand. I would do anything to get my sister back.'

Her eyes were watering with sympathy. Wyatt didn't know what to say, and he looked down awkwardly.

He felt ashamed. He kept thinking back to his earlier conversation he'd just had with Judith Campbell twenty minutes ago, before she had knocked him out and headed straight for Flynn. She'd asked him how sure he was for her safety while she was being used as bait.

'Tell me something…you got a girl? Someone you love?' Judith had asked, and Wyatt had turned away, unable to look at her. 'Would you risk her life? Is that how sure you are?'

Those words had haunted Wyatt ever since she had spoken them, because when Judith had asked if he'd 'got a girl', for the first time in years Wyatt hadn't instantly thought of Jessica. Instead, he'd thought of Lucy. Because, in all the madness surrounding this job and the draining experience of the past week, Lucy was the closest thing he'd ever had to a female partner since Jessica's death…even just a female friend. And after what they had been through on these gruelling, life-threatening trips…he _did_ care deeply about Lucy, though he hated to admit it, and he probably wouldn't have risked her life like this and used her as bait…not after all those close calls where he'd felt nearly sick with worry at the thought of Lucy perishing due to his failure to protect her.

Maybe that was why he had been so angry with Lucy today; because in such a short space of time, he had let her become a part of his life and someone who was constantly on his mind. He had not experienced that kind of connection with anyone in years before, and he'd never wanted it before now. He hadn't even thought he'd had the capacity to care that much anymore, and the fact that after all this time it would happen with _Lucy_ …well, it just felt like he was betraying Jessica. And that was why it made him all the more desperate to get Jessica back…before he would inevitably begin to care about Lucy way more than he should.

Wyatt forced himself to look back up at Lucy now, and he could see she was hurt; from their arguments earlier or their hopeless predicament or Wyatt's own heartbreak and grief and longing, he couldn't tell.

'Look, I'm sorry about before,' Wyatt said to her grudgingly. 'I get it's your job, keeping history the way it's meant to be. I don't believe in "meant to be", though…or fate…or anything like that, and if you knew how Jess died…you would know there's no such thing. It's all just dumb luck and random chance. It's just a roll of the dice.'

His voice wavered again, and it disconcerted him how Lucy had managed to keep looking at him with those pitiful, tear-filled eyes without even blinking. Lucy wanted nothing more than to comfort him, but she didn't know how – she opened her mouth to say something but then Rufus appeared to interrupt them with his own revelation about Flynn's plan – Flynn had taken Judith Campbell to gain them access to a secure nuclear facility in order to steal the plutonium core of an atomic bomb. Apparently Anthony, who now appeared to be working in collaboration with Flynn, had informed Rufus of this via outdated MIT slang. Rufus was convinced that this was evidence that Anthony was still loyal to him and the rest of Mason Industries; however, following a shootout at the nuclear test site with Flynn's men when Rufus discovered that Anthony had handed them a decoy and managed to escape with the real plutonium core, Lucy and Wyatt were inclined to convince Rufus that maybe he had been wrong about his old friend. This put Wyatt in an even worse mood, for he had let Flynn and his men go, despite having had a clear shot at Anthony.

When they returned to present day, their briefing meeting with Agent Christopher went as well as could be expected. Despite keeping history mostly the same with Judith Campbell, they had somehow allowed Flynn and his men to get away, alive, with an atomic bomb. Hopeless, defeated, and almost as angry at himself as Agent Christopher was, Wyatt borrowed one of the Mason Industries laptops and shut himself in the briefing room once everyone else had left. He'd opened up the articles just as Lucy came back in to fetch her purse, still in her flattering waitress uniform.

'Ugh, I forgot my-' But Lucy froze as she took in Wyatt's face, staring blankly at the laptop screen, and she swallowed. 'Did it work?'

Wyatt couldn't look at her. He was in disbelief, staring without seeing as the words: 'Soldier's wife found dead' glared up at him. He tried moving his head but couldn't seem to shake it properly. He didn't know why he'd been so hopeful, why he'd actually manipulated himself into believing that his silly little telegram could have actually changed anything. It just made him hate himself and the world even more than he already had done.

Lucy took a tentative step towards him. 'I…I'm so sorry, Wyatt,' she murmured sincerely.

She hated him seeing like this, so empty and alone. She wished she knew what she could do to help.

Wyatt took a deep breath and looked up at her, where he forced a smile to try and show how grateful he was for the sentiment. 'It was a long shot,' he said heavily.

'Do you-?'

'I'm gonna change out of these clothes,' Wyatt interrupted decisively, and, shutting the laptop firmly, he then strode from the room without another word.

Lucy stayed stood there for a moment, not really knowing what to think or feel. She wondered if it had felt like losing Jessica all over again, after he thought he'd been given a chance to put things right. She wondered if she would feel like that if and when she ever got an opportunity to try and get Amy back.

Rufus had already left by the time Lucy had tried to sort out her hair and got changed back into her modern-day attire, but she saw on her way to the exit that Wyatt had returned to the briefing room, in his modern jacket and jeans, to look out at the impressive operations room before them, at the Lifeboat that had caused them such turmoil in only a matter of days. Taking a deep breath, Lucy walked back into the briefing room. She could tell he wasn't the type for opening up or any deep, heartfelt conversations…but she still wanted to try.

Wyatt looked up and smiled sadly at her when she came to stand beside him. 'Hey,' he murmured.

'Hey.'

'You heading off?' he asked her.

'In a minute, yeah,' Lucy said, watching him carefully. 'Wyatt…if you ever want to talk about anything or…'

Wyatt frowned. 'What's to talk about? My wife is dead,' he said bluntly. 'She has been for well over four years. It's a lost cause.'

There was a strained silence. He'd already turned back to look out of the windows, fed up of seeing that look in her eyes, and Lucy sighed, figuring that there was no point after all. She turned to leave but then Wyatt spoke up in a low voice.

'Lucy. Thank you for trying,' he said softly, and he sounded so sincere that Lucy turned and gazed back at him; he looked guilty. 'I'm sorry for being an ass. I keep forgetting you've got your own crap to deal with.'

'By "your own crap", do you mean my sister who was never born, or my fiancé who I'd never met?' Lucy said pointedly.

Wyatt nodded slowly. 'Right. Sorry. You going back to Noah now?' he asked, grimacing.

'Yeah, but…then I'm gonna move out. I'm living in an apartment that I don't know with a total stranger, I need to get out of there,' Lucy explained helplessly. 'I need to go back to my mom's for a while, try and…reconnect with her, find out a bit about my dad…and work on a plan to get Amy back.'

Wyatt tilted his head at her sympathetically. 'What are you going to tell him?'

'Noah? I, uh, I don't know, I hadn't thought that far,' Lucy admitted, looking rather lost.

'Do you…want a lift back?' he offered.

'No, it's okay, I already came in my car, but thanks. I'd better go anyway, my husband-to-be will be wondering where I am.' He could tell from the fake smile of amusement on her face that she was terrified at the prospect of going back to face Noah.

'You'll be all right,' he said comfortingly.

Lucy gave him a sceptical look. 'I doubt it, but thank you anyway. I'll see you later,' she said, turning to leave again. 'And…I'm sorry again, for the telegram not…well, I'm sorry.'

She'd almost reached the door when something made Wyatt stop her.

'How about we make a deal?' he said, almost playfully, and Lucy turned back to him with a confused look on her face. 'We stop basing our conversations around the word "sorry". Seems like that's pretty much all we say to each other.'

A smile broke out on Lucy's face, a genuine one. 'I like the sound of that deal,' she said appreciatively, and she opened the door. 'Goodnight, Wyatt.'

''Night, Lucy,' Wyatt said, smiling back.

He watched her go, and then his eyes fell once more to the laptop on the table, where he knew Jessica's face would still be on the screen, beaming happily away and blissfully ignorant to the world that had rent apart once more around Wyatt…with the only small consolation having just walked out of the door.


	6. Over The Hump

**The next two chapters cover Episode 1x04 :)**

* * *

'Nazi Germany, is this guy for real?!' Lucy said angrily, marching into Mason Industries.

She'd barely had a week to recover from their last mission to Las Vegas, and then she'd received the phone call this morning while she'd been trying to force down some breakfast. She had left in a frenzy, gathering up the necessary textbooks relating to Germany, all the while cursing Garcia Flynn and his psychopathic motives. Wyatt, Agent Christopher and Connor Mason were all gathered around Rufus's desk in the operations room, staring at one of his computer screens. She hurried up to them anxiously.

'Good morning to you too, ma'am,' Wyatt greeted, smirking, and she glared at him, not in the mood for his banter.

'So it's true he's taken the nuke from Vegas with him? To Germany, to World War II?' she asked them all, panicked.

'Well we failed to retrieve it from him in time before he and Anthony disappeared in the Mothership, so we can assume yes,' Agent Christopher said drily.

'A nuclear weapon in the hands of Nazis,' Lucy whispered, dropping her purse. 'Oh my God, this cannot be happening.'

She did not need this right now. She was still traumatised from the Hindenburg, from Lincoln, from the shootout at the nuclear test facility...not to mention her changed life back at home. She was haunted by the heartbroken look in Noah's eyes as she'd left their apartment, at her mother's confused expression when Lucy had tried to explain her decision to move back into her supposedly 'old' home. And then she'd needed time to grieve her sister. Now that she had taken a temporary leave of absence from the university, Lucy had spent her free days simply shut up in her old bedroom, staring at Amy's photo in the locket attached to her necklace while she waited for Agent Christopher to next call. It was all too much for her. Stupid Connor Manor and his damn time machine had already cost her so much, and now an atomic bomb that could potentially alter the result of World War II? Lucy wasn't sure if she had the strength to deal with the pressure of trying to stop this.

Lucy took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together. 'Do we know _where_ Flynn is?' she asked the group at large.

'Just checked that now. Flynn is somewhere inside this 50-square mile area in northwest Germany, 1944,' Rufus replied, indicating a digital map of Germany on his computer screen.

'What's so special about there?' Agent Christopher asked.

'That's the thing. Not much,' Rufus replied, and as he talked Wyatt looked up at Lucy, frowning; just from the blank expression and pale complexion of her face, he knew she wasn't herself…something was wrong. 'Lots of forest, farmland, a local castle…'

'What about the date? Any significance?' Mason asked Lucy.

'There is one thing. There was a tavern called Das Stein Haus, here. It _may_ have been a rendezvous place for the Allied Resistance,' Lucy replied nervously, pointing out the location on the map, and she looked up at Mason doubtfully. 'It's not 100%. The accounts are…spotty, but maybe someone there can…point us in the right direction?'

Wyatt cleared his throat. 'Just so I'm clear, you want to drop us into _Nazi_ territory, roll up blind to some bar, and just convince someone there that we don't know to help us?' he said sceptically to them, and then he eyed Rufus worriedly. 'By the way, bring _him_?'

'Well, it's either that or give the Nazis a nuclear weapon?' Lucy suggested sarcastically.

'Well, does anyone here even speak German?' Rufus asked.

'I do,' Wyatt replied, and he seemed almost embarrassed to admit it.

Lucy looked at him for a moment, surprised. 'Really? You do?' she said, seriously impressed.

'Yeah, four languages, actually,' Wyatt said, trying to play it cool, as his eyes kept flickering back and forth to see Lucy's reaction.

Lucy leant against Rufus's desk, looking slightly dazed. 'O-oh,' she stammered.

She wished she didn't know that. Lucy didn't need yet another reason to be attracted to Wyatt…it would only make it harder to try and see him as only a colleague. _Keep it platonic_ , Lucy told herself sternly, as Connor Mason showed them round the new wardrobe dock. At least this new part of the building took her mind off that side of things; the sight of endless rails of various clothes, organised by geography and era, seemed to make Lucy realise that they were really in this for the long haul. Mason quickly reinforced this view:

'It doesn't seem like these missions are ending any time soon,' he'd said, rather ominously.

Lucy chose an appropriate outfit without really looking and got dressed quickly. As she pulled up her plaid skirt and buttoned up her brown shirt, her eyes glanced in the mirror and she froze at the sight of the clothing rails, labelled by time period, that stood behind her. This job was dangerous, but not just for them personally, but for the whole of time itself – for history, for the timeline, for what was meant to happen. Flynn could go back to any of these time periods and change things so drastically that one day they might not even have a 2016 to come back to. And now he'd gone to Nazi Germany with a nuclear bomb. Since when had she, Lucy Preston the history teacher, been qualified to save the world from _that_?

'Hey.'

Lucy blinked rapidly and tore her eyes off the clothing rails to see that Wyatt had appeared behind her, looking even more dashing than normal in a blue 1940s suit. He was watching her carefully. Lucy looked down, unable to cope with his penetrating gaze.

'You okay?' he asked her slowly.

Lucy realised that she couldn't speak, so she just gave him a rather shaky nod without turning around or looking back at him in the reflection of the mirror. Wyatt waited for a moment, then when he realised she wasn't going to say anything, he walked away to meet Rufus. She realised then with a pang that he'd only come over to this end of the wardrobe dock to check on her, to see that she was all right. The thought almost comforted her, but then as she checked her lipstick, she realised that her fingers were shaking rather violently, and that was when she knew she was very far from okay.

* * *

They set off after Flynn not long after that; once inside the Lifeboat, Wyatt helped Lucy buckle up her seatbelts as usual, making her smile genuinely for the first time in days, and then before they knew it the capsule door was opening to reveal a forest…and a soldier stood on the ground staring right at them in horror. Wyatt had nearly collapsed onto Lucy from the particularly jerky ride, the force of it having strained his neck considerably; Lucy would have been preoccupied by the fact that his legs had moved to brush against hers, had it not been for the gawping soldier awaiting them. Wyatt shot the poor man before he'd even had chance to properly aim his rifle, and the sight of Wyatt dragging and hiding a dead body so casually did nothing to improve Lucy's nerves.

It was all right for him. He was used to this. He was trained to deal with combat, and terror, and life-and-death. Even Rufus had had some experience, from earlier expeditions in the Lifeboat when he had been training as a pilot. Lucy was on her own.

Once they'd sneaked past – and shot – some of the other Nazi soldiers who were patrolling the forest, they found their way to the Das Stein Haus tavern that Lucy had mentioned. Leaving Rufus to hot-wire a car in case they needed to make a quick getaway, Wyatt and Lucy then entered the tavern together. The indistinct chatter inside the tavern died down the moment Wyatt and Lucy walked inside, and they found themselves being glared at by every eye in the room. The majority of them were wearing soldiers' uniforms, containing a swastika badge and armband. Wyatt and Lucy exchanged a look and nodded nervously in politeness at the soldiers before making their way over to the bar.

While Wyatt ordered in German the specific drink Lucy had read about in order to reach certain contacts, Lucy looked around the tavern. Everyone here was a Nazi. A large swastika flag hung down one of the walls.

 _How is this happening to me?_

When the barman handed over two whiskeys to Wyatt, Lucy knew that her tip hadn't worked – whatever she had read about requiring a '23 Remy Martin in order to speak to the Allied Resistance must have been incorrect. She followed Wyatt anxiously over to a table for two by the window and they sat down, risking nothing more than looking at each other. She couldn't say anything – if she spoke English, it would give them away entirely – but also, she didn't think she could physically talk. She felt sick.

 _No, stop it. Just chill out._

She was just sat opposite a handsome man in a bar having a drink, and she was extremely nervous. Just like a normal first date. There was nothing strange about this at all.

Wyatt took a swig of his whiskey; Lucy copied, hoping an alcohol beverage would help, but did so more slowly, as she struggled to lift up the glass. Wyatt didn't say anything as he watched her put down the whiskey glass, but he did notice the way her hand shook like it was disconnected from the rest of her body. He was surprised the whiskey didn't spill out of the glass, her hand was quivering so much. His eyes fell to her face; she was staring into space, and he wondered if she were about to have a panic attack. Sipping more of his drink, he considered reaching over to hold her hand, but before he could act on this impulse, one of the Nazi soldiers they had first seen upon entering the tavern approached and greeted them, looking stern.

Lucy could do nothing but simply watch, dazed and terrified, as Wyatt and the Nazi soldier conversed tensely in German, their exchanges growing more aggressive by the second until Wyatt stood up and indicated to Lucy that they should leave. They walked out of the tavern slowly, trying not to arouse suspicion, and the Nazi soldier followed them, leading them into a separate building. Terrified, Lucy exchanged a sideways glance with Wyatt; he nodded, then pulled out his gun and swivelled round to face the soldier, who already had his own pistol pointed directly at both of them.

'Put it away. Now. Before you get us all shot,' the soldier snapped at them; he was British, and Wyatt looked around at Lucy in shock. 'Perhaps you can tell by my accent, but I'm not German, you idiot.'

'Uh…what?!' Lucy murmured, stunned. 'You're-'

'Allied Resistance,' the soldier finished for her, as the two men put away their guns. 'I was in the middle of gathering intel until you two waltzed in. I swear, you Americans – you couldn't stand out more if you tried.'

Rufus then joined them, and it soon became apparent through a quick discussion that this British soldier was an undercover spy working for MI6 carrying out his own secret operation. He also clearly thought himself a bit of a charmer.

'Well, a relief to see a lovely face in an ugly place,' the soldier said, and he leaned forward to take Lucy's hand and kiss it.

Wyatt stared at the spot on Lucy's hand where the soldier's lips had been, and scowled, unimpressed. But his disgruntled attitude didn't last long, because moments later the soldier then revealed his name: Ian Fleming. It was adorable really, to see Wyatt internally freak out in the way he did, trying to keep it together as he acted cool and coy, but from the way his lips were twitching uncontrollably as he kept looking at Lucy and back to Fleming, it was clear he had just met his idol. He was hardly able to contain his excitement as Fleming drove them to his own hideout: a picturesque cottage on the outskirts of the village.

'That's Ian Fleming, _the_ Ian Fleming, the dude that wrote 'James Bond',' Wyatt was saying excitedly as they gathered around in Fleming's kitchen.

'Yes,' Lucy confirmed calmly, sitting down at the table. 'He was an actual spy in World War II, a good one. You a Bond fan?'

Wyatt hesitated. 'Yeah, little bit,' he muttered, shrugging, and Lucy tried to fight back laughter at how much effort it was clearly taking him to calm down and act casual.

'Me too,' Rufus said enthusiastically. 'Love his movies.'

'And the books,' Wyatt added under his breath, and Lucy grinned; his giddiness had almost made her momentarily forget her inner turmoil.

Fleming then re-entered the kitchen with drinks, ready to exchange intel on the atomic weapon Flynn might have brought somewhere here. Wyatt frowned; close to and in the better lighting of his kitchen, Fleming looked to be only about forty, and he wore a tight white t-shirt that emphasised his muscled chest. Wyatt wondered bitterly if he'd changed his clothes specifically to impress his female guest.

After heavy discussion, the four of them theorised that Flynn might have set out to arm a nearby V2 rocket with the atomic bomb; according to Fleming, the rocket in question was being demonstrated at a launch pad on the grounds of Castle Varlar tonight, where members of the High Command would drink and laugh and dance at the party as they watched the rocket launch into Belgium. If Flynn did indeed manage to attach the bomb to this rocket, then it would obliterate everyone and everything within a 3-mile radius. They subsequently constructed a plan for Fleming to sneak them into the launch pad so that Wyatt and Rufus could attempt to disarm the rocket, although before they set off, Fleming poured them all a glass of wine.

'So we're drinking now?'

'Well, with what you've been through, and what we're about to go through – absolutely,' Fleming said confidently, and the three men drank their wine down in one.

When he saw that Lucy hadn't touched her glass, Fleming picked it up for her and handed it out, a gentle smile on his face.

'It's, um, bad form to leave a poured glass full,' he murmured, charm radiating from every syllable and feature in his expression.

There was no missing the look that passed between them when Lucy accepted the glass from Fleming and drank. Fleming smiled warmly at her and then headed out of the room. Sighing, Wyatt barely registered Rufus creep over to him; he had noticed that Lucy's eyes hadn't left Fleming's retreating figure.

'Dude. James Bond just hit on Lucy,' Rufus whispered in an awed tone.

Wyatt rolled his eyes, annoyed. Lucy was still gazing over in Fleming's direction.

'I'm just going to freshen up upstairs before we go to the launch pad,' Lucy then said, recovering herself and getting up to her feet. 'I'll be ten minutes?'

Something in her tone bothered Wyatt. 'If you wanna stay here and get some rest while we check out this rocket, you can,' he said reassuringly. 'I mean, c'mon, this is a secret Bond lair, it'll be safe.'

'I don't need rest, I'm fine,' Lucy said irritably, though her voice wavered slightly, and she avoided their worried gazes as she strode from the kitchen and upstairs towards the bathroom.

Rufus shrugged at Wyatt. 'PMT?' he suggested, and Wyatt cast him a dark look.

They helped themselves to more of Fleming's wine but after five minutes of silent drinking, Wyatt found himself anxious to get going. His thoughts were driving him mad, and he didn't want to be annoyed at Ian Fleming, his childhood hero, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't help it.

First Robert Lincoln, now this…Despite being so reserved and untethered, Lucy had already caught another man's eye. And the creator of James Bond, no less. Though was it any wonder, really? Even dressed in silly get-ups from ancient eras, she was a sight for sore eyes. A gorgeous, smart woman…how could James Bond _not_ be drawn to her?

'Where did Fleming go?' Rufus asked randomly, as if he could read Wyatt's thoughts.

'Upstairs getting ready, I guess. No doubt the guy's trying to charm his way into Lucy's room right now.' He wondered if Lucy would like the idea. He certainly didn't.

Rufus frowned. 'You like her?' he asked curiously.

The casual manner in which Rufus said this stunned Wyatt, and he couldn't help feeling annoyed with himself for letting his jealousy show so clearly.

Wyatt shrugged. 'She's…cute, I guess,' he replied airily, gazing at the chair where Lucy had been sat.

He couldn't say anymore. Anything more than that would be a betrayal to Jessica's memory. Four years later and he still couldn't let himself move on. He couldn't. Not when it was his fault.

'Why don't you ask her out-?'

'Why don't you ask Jiya out?' Wyatt cut over him sharply; he was not going to entertain this conversation about him and Lucy, no way. There was no possibility of whatever it was between them ever going anywhere.

Rufus's face had fallen. 'I _did_. I told you – we went out. Awkward as hell. Huge failure.'

'Sorry, man,' Wyatt said, grimacing. 'But drop it – the thing with Lucy, it's not…it's nothing. It's not like that. It can't be like that with anyone.'

Rufus stared at him in amazement. 'How much longer are you going to let your guilt deprive you of potential happiness with someone, Wyatt?' he asked sadly, and with one final sip of his drink he walked away, leaving Wyatt alone in the kitchen.

Wyatt punched the chair he'd been leaning against. He was angry with himself for feeling so chagrined. But now it turned out that even Rufus wasn't blind to the fact that something had been building between his two fellow team members, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for Wyatt to pretend that was not the case. He sighed; how on earth would he be able to compete with James Bond, his ultimate hero? Not that he wanted to compete. No, of course he didn't. He'd meant what he'd said to Rufus. He couldn't embark on any kind of potential future relationship with anyone. Even if he wanted to.

* * *

Wyatt had hoped that their trip to the launch pad would be a 'simple' matter of disabling a rocket, but it turned out very quickly that there was not going to be the case. After scanning for traces of radiation, Rufus came to the conclusion that the atomic bomb had not been attached to the V2 rocket, and that there was no way the rocket would be armed in time for tonight's launch. They didn't have long to ponder what Flynn's plan could possibly be, however, for Flynn himself then arrived at the launch pad, surrounded by an entourage of various Nazis, while Lucy, Wyatt, Rufus and Fleming watched from afar, hidden from view.

Wyatt loaded his gun and got ready to shoot…but then Lucy saw the man stood beside Flynn, and she reached out her hand and stopped Wyatt just in time, yanking his arm away.

'Stop, stop! Don't shoot,' Lucy whispered to him, panicked, and Wyatt glared at her in outrage. 'You can't shoot. That's Wernher Von Braun standing next to Flynn.'

'Who the hell is that?' Wyatt demanded in an annoyed whisper.

'Someone we _can't_ risk getting caught in the crossfire,' Lucy replied urgently.

'Flynn is right there!' Wyatt protested.

Lucy shook his arm. 'Please, Wyatt. You can't. You _have_ to trust me.'

Wyatt stared at her for a moment, searching her pleading, desperate eyes, and then registered her trembling fingers, her shaking arm. He glanced over at Fleming, then realised he didn't care what Fleming thought, and he nodded at Lucy before putting his gun away in his pocket.

He spent the whole journey back to Fleming's hideout wandering agitatedly whether he had made the right decision letting Flynn go, and questioned Lucy the moment they got back inside the cottage; she explained that Von Braun was the genius father of the rocket program. Lucy tried to tell Fleming that there was a 'bigger picture', but it was hard, particularly when Von Braun's rockets had caused such devastation during the blitz. Somehow, Fleming accepted Lucy's 'orders', but it still troubled Wyatt. How could they let a Nazi like that live, no matter how important he was for any future space programs, when he was inevitably going to destroy so many more innocent lives in the months to come? Nevertheless, Fleming respected Lucy's decision, which she was surprised by, and continued on discussing their plans as normal.

'So it seems that this…Von Braun will be at the demonstration tonight. I can get us past the front door. Lucy can accompany me as my secretary,' Fleming said calmly, and Lucy looked up at him, stunned.

'How do I get in?' Wyatt grumbled, still unhappy with how events had gone this afternoon.

'You don't,' Fleming replied, and Wyatt frowned, horrified. 'You and Rufus can provide back-up from the perimeter.'

Wyatt stepped forward in protest, his eyes alight with panic and anger. 'She doesn't get in without me,' he said firmly, glancing at Lucy.

He was never going to let Lucy attend a party full of Nazis unprotected. Never.

'I can barely get her in, much less you. Besides, she's a capable operative just the same as you and I, isn't she?' Fleming pointed out.

Lucy was touched by his attitude. From the James Bond movies she'd watched, Lucy hadn't been overly keen on their sexist, belittling portrayal of the female characters. But perhaps the author himself was indeed different to what would originally have been believed. Lucy met Wyatt's gaze; he was looking at her in anguish, clearly torn between what he knew was logical and what was safest.

'I'm sorry, but there simply isn't another way,' Fleming said firmly.

Lucy nodded. 'He's right,' she said, and Wyatt tilted his head at her, frowning; he'd been counting on her to protest so that they wouldn't have to go through with this ridiculously reckless, dangerous plan of Fleming's.

'Then it's settled. Now, if you'll excuse me. I'll go and find you a uniform,' Fleming said to Lucy, and with that he left the kitchen.

Lucy and Wyatt argued for a good five to ten minutes once Fleming had left; Wyatt was determined to take out Flynn, even if it meant killing some important Nazi as well, but Lucy was adamant that he didn't, that Von Braun was indispensable. When Fleming returned, he escorted a weary Lucy upstairs to his guest room so that she could change into an undercover uniform he had found for her. Wyatt was grateful for a reason to stop fighting with Lucy, but the moment she was out of his sight and getting ready for the upcoming ordeal tonight, he found himself aching with worry for her as he paced around the kitchen. He couldn't stand this. How would he be able to just watch helplessly from the sidelines as Lucy dressed as a Nazi and socialised with so many inherently evil people? How could he let her do that with her life at risk?

'She'll have James Bond with her, she'll be fine,' Rufus said when Wyatt voiced his fears, but if anything, this made Wyatt feel even worse.

After Lucy had been gone for a considerable amount of time, Wyatt decided to go and check up on her…and also perhaps to clear the air. He didn't want her to leave for the demonstration with a bad feeling in the air between the two of them. When he knocked on the door of the guest room, there was no answer.

'Lucy?' he said tentatively, but still nothing. 'Hey, Lucy, I'm…I know we said we needed to stop saying sorry to each other, but I…look, can I come in? I'd rather talk to you than this door. I just wanna check you're okay. Are you decent?'

Silence met his words. He knocked again, this time louder. After a few seconds of waiting, he began to get worried, so slowly pushed open the door.

And there Lucy was, stood at the dressing table, lost in her own world, completely unaware that Wyatt had come into the room. She was wearing a Nazi uniform, which included a blazer that had the swastika symbol embroidered into its pocket, and a swastika badge pinned to her chest. She was staring at herself in the mirror, her tear-filled eyes flickering back and forth between the badge and her hands, which were shaking more violently than ever before. She tried brushing her hair out of her face, but her fingers were out of control. She gripped the dressing table, and tried to take slow breaths as she stared down, her ears ringing.

Wyatt had been where she was. He knew what she was feeling. And, looking at her now, he so desperately wanted to just wrap his arms around her consolingly. But all he could manage was –

'Hey.'

Lucy looked up, and saw Wyatt's reflection in the mirror…just like before, in the wardrobe dock back at Mason Industries. He was stood in the centre of the guest room, and looked as if he had been there for some time. Why was he always there to see her panicking like this? She didn't want him to think her vulnerable or weak. Now he would just think all she did in her spare time was have mental breakdowns.

Lucy took a deep breath and cleared her throat as she pulled herself together. 'Don't you know how to knock?' she asked casually, slightly annoyed, as she straightened her blazer and picked up a few accessories from the dressing table.

'I did. Twice,' Wyatt replied heavily, an apologetic tone to his voice.

Lucy turned around to face him, surprised; how had she not heard him knocking? 'Oh…well, good for you,' she said, forcing a soft laugh, but then she looked at him with a serious expression, swallowing slightly, and began shaking her head as she spoke in a low voice. 'Uh, look, I don't…I don't wanna fight about Von Braun.'

'Me neither,' Wyatt said calmly, looking like a model in his smart shirt and suspenders. 'Let's talk about something else.'

Lucy stared at him as he moved over to sit on the edge of the armchair besides the dressing table. 'Okay, like what?' she asked suspiciously; Wyatt was never the one to initiate a conversation.

'Like…you putting on a good front,' Wyatt said, and Lucy immediately looked away and continued to shake her head rapidly, 'but I've seen this a thousand times with a thousand guys-'

'Seen what?' Lucy interrupted dismissively.

She didn't like the way he was looking at her. It was full of pity and, most of all, concern. And she resented it.

'New soldier in the field. Freaking out,' Wyatt answered simply.

Lucy gave him a sceptical look, almost amused by the suggestion. 'I am…not freaking out,' she said, avoiding his gaze as she walked over to the bed desperately. 'I…I'm not freaking out.'

But Wyatt wasn't buying it. 'Guys in your spot, they got two options – get over the hump…or crack up.'

Lucy closed her eyes. She knew she ought not to be ashamed, but she couldn't help feeling embarrassed. She was acting like some pathetic little woman, scared by the Nazis, in front of a brave soldier. What must he think of her?

Reluctantly, she inclined her head in his direction. 'How do I…?' – she trailed off and sighed, still shaking her head – 'get over the hump?'

'You talk about what's bothering you,' Wyatt said patiently.

'You never talk.'

'I'm over the hump.'

Lucy exhaled, and there was a silence as she considered him thoughtfully. He wasn't being condescending or seemingly looking down on her in any way at all. On the contrary, he was being supportive. Wyatt watched her, and he could practically feel the pain radiating off of her. She had been through so much in these past two weeks. It just wasn't fair.

Eventually, Lucy turned to face him, leaning against the bed as she folded her arms. 'I shouldn't even be here,' she murmured, after a hesitation.

'Nazi Germany? Yeah, none of us should,' Wyatt said, a sly smirk on his face, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

'No. I mean, when I was a…a sophomore in college, I was ready to abandon the whole history thing,' Lucy admitted, and she sighed; she'd never told anyone new in her life about this.

'Really? To do what?' Wyatt asked, and he sounded almost like a therapist – not overly interested, but encouraging her to talk it out and open up in whatever way suited her best.

'I was…driving to my mom's house to tell her that I was dropping out of school to join a band,' Lucy admitted, and Wyatt smiled, his eyebrows flickering in surprise; Lucy smiled back at him, embarrassed. 'And…I'm going over the whole speech in my mind…don't notice the oil slick on the road…spin out right into the river.'

Wyatt's smile faded. Lucy's lips were trembling, and her eyes were watering. Clearly, it was agony for her to relive this…it was agony for Wyatt just to hear it.

'The car started filling up with water so fast. The car shut down, the doors wouldn't open, and I'm thinking, "this is it",' Lucy went on, and Wyatt felt his hands twitch as he tried unsuccessfully not to picture her screaming and drowning in a sinking car; no wonder she was claustrophobic. 'Someone happened by and…pulled me out. But, ever since then, I have always put myself in situations that I could control.'

'Right,' Wyatt said in a low voice, not really knowing what he could say to express how sorry he was that that had happened to her.

'I mean, _this_? What we're doing? I…' She trailed off in disbelief, bemused as the tears threatened to leak out of her eyes, and when she next spoke her voice shook. 'Every time I get in that time machine…I feel like I am back in that car, like I am drowning all over again, and I just…I don't think I can keep doing this.'

She was shaking her head and pressing her lips together to stop her from breaking out into sobs. It was a relief to let it out, and in some ways, it felt like it was bringing her and Wyatt closer, for her to open up to him like this…but she didn't want to be a burden, and she didn't want him to worry or think differently of her after this. She wished he could see her as the confident, capable woman Fleming viewed her to be, but it was too late for that now. In the space of just a few days in each other's company, Wyatt now knew Lucy better than any man had for quite some time now (at least in her original timeline), and that was what made Lucy feel even sadder.

' _How_ do you keep doing it?' Lucy asked him.

'I grew up in West Texas. Dirt poor. My dad was a world-class son of a bitch, but my Grandpa Sherwin…he picked up all the slack,' Wyatt said, and then he paused as something came to him, and he smiled thoughtfully. 'Matter of fact, he's gotta be less than 200 miles from here right now. Younger than me…in the 101st, killing Nazis.'

Lucy was staring at him through watery eyes in amazement. She had never heard him talk like this before. He'd been very clear that personal and work life should not mix. And yet here he was, telling her about his family.

'That's why saving Nazis or letting Lincoln die, that's hard for me because…it feels like I'm letting him down,' Wyatt explained to Lucy, nodding heavily as he too tried not to get choked up. 'He's the reason I fight. To make him proud.'

Lucy gazed at him, and realised that her hands were no longer shaking. Wyatt then got up from the armchair and walked over to her; he reached out and began to straighten up her tie. Lucy uncrossed her arms and leaned off the bed, surprised by this gesture of affection.

'You wanna know how to keep doing this? You figure out what you're fighting for,' Wyatt murmured softly, giving her finished tie a gentle pat, 'and you'll be okay.'

They gazed at each other for a moment, and then Lucy found herself smiling, a real actual smile. 'Thank you…for talking,' she whispered, overwhelmingly grateful and surprised. 'Even though you're over the hump.'

Wyatt smiled his irresistible smile back at her, and she felt her heart melt. 'Sure thing…ma'am.'

Lucy almost laughed; she was even becoming fond of the stupid nickname now. He straightened her blazer a little before giving her one last smile and then walking away to leave the room. She watched him go, heart racing, and took a deep breath as she tried to process his words and channel them on focussing towards tonight's mission.

'Lucy,' Wyatt then said from the doorway, and Lucy turned back to face him. 'You'll do good tonight. And I promise you'll be safe – I have it on James Bond's authority.'

Lucy laughed and nodded determinedly back at him from the bed.

'Your hair looks nice, by the way,' Wyatt added with an almost embarrassed sort of smile, and with that he exited the room, leaving Lucy smiling dazedly after him.

He had only been gone for a few minutes when there came a sharp rap at the door, which was still open. It was Fleming this time, stood respectfully in the doorway and dressed in full Nazi attire. Lucy could hardly believe her life right now.

'Will you be ready to set off shortly, Lucy?' he asked politely.

'I'm ready now,' Lucy replied firmly, smiling, and she felt a little flutter as she admired the shiny curled locks of her hair in the mirror before leaving the room.


	7. The New Bond Girl

Castle Varlar was the grandest, most magnificent building Lucy had ever stepped foot in by far. She would have perhaps even appreciated its splendour, were it not for the swastika flags and drapes hanging from the walls and bannisters. She followed Fleming in nervously, shuffling uncomfortably in her Nazi uniform, and tried to find solace in the fact that at least she had a top MI6 spy at her side. That didn't stop her from feeling like she might faint or throw up at any minute, though.

The two of them headed up to the upper floor, so they could watch over the party from the balcony and keep a lookout for either Flynn or Von Braun. Lucy tried to concentrate on the dazzling chandeliers and the sound of the swelling string quartet playing below to stop herself from crying or screaming, but it was hard. There was no escaping the fact that she was surrounded by Nazis in 1944, with the imminent threat of a nuclear bomb. She couldn't exactly pretend it was just a typical Monday.

After taking a stroll around to check out the security, Fleming went back to Lucy, whose hands were gripped onto the balustrade like her life depended on it. She was beginning to panic now. She felt so alone, so helpless.

'Where's Von Braun?' she whispered to Fleming urgently.

'He's down there somewhere,' Fleming murmured, and he placed his hand over Lucy's and gazed intensely at her. 'Trust me. We'll find him.'

Lucy glanced down at their touching hands, and she managed a small smile. She knew she ought to be flattered – this was the James Bond author, after all, and a heroic, smart secret agent at that – but she couldn't help wishing it was Wyatt stood by her side and holding her hand instead.

Meanwhile, Wyatt himself was keeping watch outside the castle while Rufus tried to disable the rocket, having just shot down a few of the patrolling Nazi soldiers. His eyes were wide and alert, his gun out and ready, but no matter how much he tried to concentrate on his and Rufus's current mission, his mind couldn't help straying back to Lucy. His eyes fell ominously to the spectacular, lit-up castle that stood not too far away from Rufus. He hoped to God she was all right in there.

It had been strange, talking about Grandpa Sherwin to her earlier. He'd never planned to – he would never have imagined a situation in which the topic of family would have come up in conversation – but for some reason, it had just come naturally to him…to help Lucy see what all this was for: family. It was only starting to sink in with him now that if they carried on like this – he, Lucy and Rufus – the three of them would soon end up being family too.

He'd hated to see her feeling so alone, talking about how travelling back in time was like re-experiencing that horrific drowning incident when she had been young. But he hoped he'd spoken some words of wisdom to her, that he'd provided her with a little bit of comfort at least. It had been strangely nice, in a way, for the two of them to talk about their past to each other like that. Too nice, in fact.

Wyatt groaned to himself, wishing he could stop worrying so much and pull himself together. He couldn't stop thinking about Lucy's tearful, pale white face in the guest room of Fleming's house. But then he remembered her smile when he'd called her 'ma'am' just before leaving, and knew it would all be okay. She would be fine, of course she would. But _why_ had he had to say that about her hair? It was almost as if he hadn't been able to help himself. Admittedly, she had looked stunningly pretty – not that she didn't most of the time – but why make a thing of it? Now that would always be out in the open between them, and Wyatt couldn't have that. He hoped she wouldn't take it to heart. No doubt Fleming would be enough distraction anyway…but then Wyatt inexplicably felt his blood boil at the mere thought, and got out Fleming's binoculars to search for them in the castle again.

He found them easily this time: through the window, he saw the two of them stood side by side on the balcony on the upper floor, overlooking the party. Wyatt's knuckles tensed up as he watched Fleming place his hand over Lucy's.

'Are you serious?' Wyatt muttered incredulously, unable to take his eyes away as he watched Lucy's eyelashes flutter, her nervous smile, her colouring cheeks…

Rufus turned around sharply at Wyatt's tone and he frowned. 'What?' he asked, coming over.

Reluctantly, Wyatt slowly put the binoculars down and handed them bitterly to Rufus without looking at him, agitated.

'Dude,' Rufus said in a dazed voice, staring in surprise through the binoculars. 'James Bond's hitting on Lucy. And she's into it.'

Wyatt rolled his eyes. 'She's _not_ into it, no way,' he said heavily, turning away from the castle. 'He's a jerk.'

'You were his number one fan up until he poured her that damn glass of wine,' Rufus pointed out, raising his eyebrows at him.

Wyatt rounded on him angrily. 'What are you saying?'

'You _know_ what I'm saying, Wyatt,' Rufus said firmly.

They stared at each other furiously for a minute and Wyatt was so irritated that he didn't think to check through his binoculars – if he had, perhaps he would have noticed that Lucy and Fleming had spotted Von Braun and moved downstairs so that Lucy could engage him in conversation.

Back at the castle, Lucy was stood at the foot of the grand staircase, staring over at Von Braun, and she felt her knees wobble unsteadily. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She thought of Wyatt, of his gentle hands sorting out her tie, of his face close to hers, of his gaze and his smile.

' _Figure out what you're fighting for…and you'll be okay.'_

Lucy opened her eyes. She felt herself smile, and began to walk promptly over to Von Braun…until Flynn appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her arm; she gasped out in horror.

'I was wondering when you'd get here,' Flynn snarled, steering her away from view. 'Where's your friend Wyatt? He dropped in on me this morning uninvited. Very rude.'

Something about the mention of Wyatt's name seemed to stir something in Lucy, and she turned to face Flynn defensively. 'Don't worry. He's close by,' she said firmly, feeling suddenly a lot braver than before.

Lucy soon discovered through a tense conversation with her captor that Flynn's plan was to hand Von Braun over to the Soviets rather than killing him, thereby assuring that Russia would win the Cold War and possibly even be the first to land on the moon, thus damaging the timeline in an unspeakably catastrophic way. She was almost reassured when Fleming then turned up with a gun directed at Flynn's back – perhaps there was a way out of this after all, perhaps they really could stop Flynn with an MI6 agent to help them – but then some German soldiers appeared, pistols pointed at both Lucy and Fleming. Lucy realised too late that Flynn must have tipped the Nazis off about the British spy and his accomplice. They were doomed. Lucy closed her eyes, trying not to panic.

 _Wyatt, where are you?_

She had no idea that Wyatt was looking at her right now at this very moment from the launch pad, having just stopped arguing with Rufus to check through the binoculars once again. He felt himself freeze as his eyes took in the scene of horror before him…Lucy stood opposite Flynn, Fleming with his gun out but cornered by Nazi soldiers, a pistol gun pointed directly at Lucy's head…but it was her terrified face he was fixated on. Even from this distance he could tell that her lips were trembling.

'Hey, they got Lucy,' Wyatt said, trying to stay calm, as he watched Lucy and Fleming be escorted away by some of the Nazi soldiers. 'We gotta get down there now.'

Rufus eyed him sceptically. 'And the plan is?'

'Shoot our way in and out,' Wyatt said helplessly, his voice wavering, and Rufus looked appalled.

'You wanna talk alternatives for a minute?'

Wyatt stared at him. 'She's gonna be _dead_ in a minute.' He felt his stomach drop at the thought.

'We'll be dead in less than a minute if we go in there guns blazing!' Rufus said agitatedly.

'Yeah?' Wyatt said, realising that he didn't care about the risks – he just wanted Lucy safe and out of harms' way. 'You got a better idea?'

And then a thought struck Rufus. 'Yeah. We're not gonna disarm this rocket after all.'

Rufus's plan immediately became clear once he lit up the rocket; he and Wyatt only just managed to run from the launch pad in time before the rocket launched up into the sky, creating a fiery blast that shook the ground they stood on.

'One hell of a distraction, Rufus,' Wyatt panted, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he struggled up to his feet and glanced up at the castle; it was clearly pandemonium inside…everyone was screaming and running as the castle rumbled threateningly around them from the force of the launch…but from a quick glance through his binoculars, there was no sign of Lucy.

'I don't know where they went!' he yelled out, panicked. 'Where did Lucy go?!'

'We'll find her, let's go!' Rufus urged.

Together they sprinted along the field towards the castle, where crowds of people were pouring out, shrieking out in terror. Wyatt tried searching the crowds but couldn't see Lucy's familiar petite figure. He began calling out her name, afraid, as Rufus frantically scanned through the windows on the ground floor.

And then they saw her.

She was crouched on the floor of what appeared to be a study, beside Fleming and two dead bodies…and two Nazi soldiers had just appeared in the doorway, pistols pointed directly at Lucy. The window smashed to pieces as Wyatt's bullets came soaring through and hit the soldiers squarely in the back. Lucy and Fleming looked at each other in shock, and then as they got to their feet they noticed Wyatt and Rufus stood there outside through the cracked window, Wyatt's gun held upright. Relief flooded through Lucy.

'Time to go!' Wyatt urged Lucy, calmer now that he could see that she was alive.

'We still have to get Von Braun,' Lucy called back to him.

They hurried back into the chaos of the grand hall together and luckily managed to seize Von Braun while he tried to escape in the midst of the panicking, screaming crowd. When they saw Flynn at the other end of the room with his small army of fellow Nazi soldiers, Wyatt grabbed Lucy's arm firmly and they ran along the corridor before bolting themselves in a room with Fleming, Rufus and Von Braun. There were no windows or other doors – they were trapped.

'We post up here. Soon as they come through the door, we shoot,' Wyatt ordered to the small group, loading his gun as he waited by the door.

'Wyatt, that's suicide,' Lucy protested, and Wyatt stared at her, breathing heavily, desperately trying to come up with a solution that would get her out of here safe…but there was nothing.

Fleming nodded heavily. 'All right, but first…' And he pulled out his pistol and aimed it directly at Von Braun.

Crying out, Lucy and Wyatt managed to yank Fleming's arm down to stop him from shooting as Von Braun shrieked out in fear.

'What the hell are you doing?!' Wyatt yelled at Fleming, alarmed.

'That bastard's rockets destroyed London!' Fleming bellowed.

'I was just following orders!' Von Braun protested.

'He has to pay for what he did,' Fleming shouted, pointing a finger that shook with rage at Von Braun. 'You give him to the Allies, that is _never_ gonna happen!'

Wyatt was looking back and forth between Fleming and Von Braun, torn between what was right for the timeline and what was justice. He thought of his grandpa, fighting out there. How could he let this evil man go free?

'There is right and there's wrong,' Fleming continued firmly, anger raging through him.

Lucy slowly got up to her feet and met Wyatt's perplexed gaze. 'Wyatt,' she said, trying to hide her desperation with a calm voice.

He stared back at her, his breathing heavy, his face set in a frown, and his eyes flickered back to pathetic little Von Braun, shaking his head pleadingly. He could feel Fleming's fury…and he shared it. This was torture for him.

'Wyatt!' Lucy repeated, this time more urgently, trying to make him see sense.

His eyes met hers once more, and then he took a step towards her. 'I agree with him,' Wyatt said in a tremoring voice, glancing to Fleming before gazing once more at Lucy, 'but I trust you.'

Lucy felt her heart soar in relief.

'We listen to her,' Wyatt said sharply to an exasperated Fleming. 'End of story!'

They all managed to escape through a secret passage concealed behind the fireplace, called a 'Priest Hole', and hurried back to Fleming's hideout with Von Braun, knowing Flynn wouldn't be able to follow them there. Fleming and Wyatt agreed to take turns keeping watch over Von Braun overnight while Lucy and Rufus slept in the guest bedrooms of the cottage. Just before Lucy got into her bed, however, there came a gentle knock on her door. When she opened it, she found Wyatt stood there; he was embarrassed to see that she was in a nightdress, and he couldn't help wondering why Fleming would have brought some spare female nightwear with him to this place.

'Hey, just wanted to check if you're okay?' he asked her softly, concentrating on looking only at her face, which looked exhausted.

'I'm fine, thank you,' she replied gratefully, as she leant against the door. 'Just tired.'

Wyatt sighed heavily. 'Lucy, I'm sorry I wasn't with you tonight,' he murmured. 'I should have been there to protect you.'

'Don't worry about it,' Lucy reassured him, 'I had Ian.'

'Oh, we're calling him "Ian" now, are we?' Wyatt said rather sharply, raising his eyebrows.

Lucy frowned. 'Is there a problem?'

'No,' Wyatt lied after a short hesitation, and he looked down awkwardly at his feet. 'No, Nothing.'

'You don't think I made the right call about Von Braun.' It wasn't a question.

'I just wish he could get the punishment he deserves. But I meant what I said. I _do_ trust you,' Wyatt said earnestly. 'You're an incredible historian, and you know the facts well enough to know what can't be changed, so you're right…it would have been wrong to kill him.'

Lucy smiled. 'Thank you for saying that,' she whispered.

Wyatt nodded. 'I'll…let you get some sleep, anyway,' he said, backing away from the door, but then he paused, an odd look on his face. 'You get any unwanted male attention creeping through your door tonight, just give me a shout and I'll come running.'

'I'll bear that in mind,' Lucy said, amused. 'Although…I think I can take care of myself when it comes to unwanted male attention.'

'Fair point, ma'am,' Wyatt agreed, his lips twitching. 'I'll see you in the morning.'

Lucy was only asleep for a few hours when dawn then broke; feeling slightly refreshed, she got up, washed and dressed before going outside with Rufus to join Wyatt, where he was waiting in the driveway with Von Braun for an MI6 agent to come and pick up him and Fleming. When the agent eventually rolled up the drive in his sleek silver car, Fleming emerged from his little cottage for the last time, looking devastatingly smart in a crisp dark grey suit.

'I hope you're right about this,' Fleming said calmly to Lucy, his eyes flickering unsurely over to Von Braun.

Lucy smiled sadly. 'We are.'

'Well, I guess this is goodbye,' Fleming said, then he turned pointedly to Lucy, his gaze smouldering. 'But maybe not for you. I might find myself stateside when all this is over.'

His tone was tantalising, his eyes alight with hope and intrigue. Wyatt looked away wearily with a roll of his eyes. He couldn't stand the eager little smile on Lucy's face.

'I'm sure you will,' Lucy replied with a grin, matching Fleming's flirtatious tone, and Wyatt felt like he wanted to throw up.

Fleming inclined his head towards Lucy. 'Will you be waiting?' he murmured.

He was smooth, Wyatt had to give him that, but he loathed him for it. Stupid arrogant man with his fancy car and gadgets. What was so special about him anyway? Wyatt felt his fingers twitch as he noticed that Lucy's eyes were fixed on Fleming's lips.

 _No, please God, no_ , Wyatt thought desperately.

He watched, his expression blank, as Lucy slowly leaned forward to Fleming, their faces a mere inch away, her curled hair brushing against Fleming's cheek. Wyatt was sure she was about to kiss him – so sure, in fact, that he looked away just before their lips touched – but then he heard Lucy speak instead.

'Definitely not,' she whispered to Fleming.

Wyatt couldn't help smiling triumphantly, his eyebrows wiggling in surprise, as a rejected Fleming slowly leaned away, grinning in amusement. Fleming then slowly walked over to the car, though turned back to Lucy before he got in, chuckling softly.

'Well…never say never,' he said hopefully.

'Again!' Wyatt interjected enthusiastically, his face alight, and Fleming frowned, confused, before getting into his colleague's car.

'Seriously?' Lucy said exasperatedly, as she and Rufus stared at Wyatt in amusement, and the three of them burst out laughing.

* * *

When they got back to 2016, they immediately reported back to Agent Christopher and Connor Mason on their trip to 1944 Germany, and subsequently Mason ended up revealing a very interesting fact that made Wyatt almost jump up and down on the spot with glee.

'You've just described, beat by beat, the plot of 'Weapon of Choice',' Mason said, bemused.

'What's…'Weapon of Choice'?' Rufus asked, exchanging a confused look with Lucy and Wyatt.

'The Bond movie!' Mason replied exasperatedly.

'Mm, no such movie,' Wyatt said firmly.

'Yes, there is. It's the one in the castle with the rockets,' Mason explained, as a fellow employee passed Rufus a tablet showing the details. 'Uh, Connery's finest, as far as I'm concerned.'

Rufus stared at the tablet, which displayed the movie poster and synopsis, and began to beam ecstatically. 'Bond infiltrates the castle, rescue evil scientist, with the help of CIA agents Wyatt, Lucy, and Rufus!' he said in disbelief, laughing. 'How much you wanna bet Bond sleeps with Lucy in that one?'

Wyatt and Lucy both gave him a dark look before Wyatt turned urgently to Mason, barely able to contain his excitement. 'Okay, so you're telling me there's a new Bond movie, with Sean Connery, and we're in it?'

'Yeah, but it's not new,' Mason said impatiently. 'Came out in, what, '64?'

Wyatt was grinning like Christmas had just come early. 'Well, it's new to me!'

The whole time during their briefing meeting, Wyatt couldn't stop smiling about the prospect of the new Bond movie…at least, until Rufus devised the theory that Anthony had used the plutonium core Flynn had stolen from Vegas to create a permanent battery for the time machine rather than a weapon. Wyatt wasn't sure whether they ought to take this as good news or not, but quickly managed to distract himself from that pressing worry by researching 'Weapon of Choice' the moment they'd been allowed out of the operations room.

He was still beaming away like an idiot when he entered the wardrobe dock to return his 1940s suit, and bumped into Lucy there, who was now back in her modern clothes.

Lucy smiled nervously at him as he approached. She kept thinking of his touching words from last night whenever she caught sight of him now… _'I agree with him…but I trust you.'_

'You look…unusually…not-stressed,' Wyatt noted. He'd been going to say 'happy' or 'cheerful', but that would have been too much; Lucy wasn't quite there _yet_.

'I just had a good talk with Agent Christopher,' Lucy explained brightly.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows at her in surprise as he leant against one of the railings. 'There's a sentence I never thought I'd hear,' he said, and they laughed. 'So how does it feel to be a Bond girl in a movie that never existed until now?'

'I was _not_ a Bond girl, I…okay, it is pretty cool,' Lucy admitted, giggling.

'Hell yeah, it is,' Wyatt said firmly. 'We inspired Ian Fleming! We're the stars of a friggin' Bond movie.'

'Aw, you're having a real fanboy freak-out again, aren't you?' Lucy said teasingly; she loved seeing Wyatt smiling like this and looking so alive. It was a nice change.

'Yup, not even a little bit ashamed,' Wyatt said. 'The reviews say it's one of the best out of all of them! I still think _Casino Royale_ is the best but-'

'How can you say that when you haven't even seen 'Weapon of Choice'?' Lucy interrupted, eyeing him sceptically, and then Wyatt's eyes widened enthusiastically.

'Wh- wait, we should watch it now!'

Lucy laughed. 'What, just go out there and buy the DVD right this minute?'

'Who uses DVD's anymore? It'll be online on Netflix or something, c'mon,' Wyatt said promptly, and he grabbed her by the wrist and led them out of the wardrobe dock.

'Okay, calm down, Wyatt, where are you going?' Lucy asked, laughing.

'Back to my place, we can watch the film there,' Wyatt replied simply, and Lucy stopped walking.

'Wait, "we"?'

Wyatt faltered, and released his hold of her wrist as he took in her surprised expression. 'W-well yeah, I, uh…sorry, I just thought…don't you wanna see it?' he asked, and she stared at him. 'The movie?' he added hastily.

'Well yeah of course I do,' Lucy said earnestly, 'but…I have stuff to do, I need to contact the university about my sabbatical so I can get away with…w-well, _this_ , and I need to check in with my mom, and I…'

'Okay, I get it,' Wyatt said, his lips twitching. 'You're busy.'

Lucy sighed. 'I didn't mean…look, why don't you just watch it tonight and I'll check it out tomorrow when I'm free?' she suggested.

Wyatt considered her for a moment; he couldn't express how desperate he was to watch the movie…but then he couldn't get the sudden mental image of him and Lucy sat on his couch in front of the TV out of his head. What was wrong with him?

'Nah, it's okay, I'll wait,' Wyatt replied, trying to sound casual. 'We should watch it together.'

Lucy could hardly believe what she was hearing. 'R-really?'

'Y-yeah, I mean…with Rufus as well,' Wyatt said awkwardly.

'Oh of course, yeah, yeah, obviously,' Lucy said at once, and she nodded rather aggressively.

Wyatt leaned closer to her. 'I mean, if we're travelling round time depending on each other in life-or-death situations, then we should spend time with each other outside of work. Get to know each other a bit. Don't you think?' he said, almost playfully.

'I-I _do_ think,' Lucy stammered, smiling uncontrollably. 'Yeah. Absolutely.'

Wyatt smiled at her as he led their way out towards the exit. 'Though, just to warn you, I'll probably be turning away in those love scenes with Bond and the chick.'

He hadn't really had time to consider his words before they'd already come out of his mouth. But then he realised he didn't actually regret them…and it confused him.

They stopped walking as Lucy tilted her head and raised an eyebrow at him. 'You can't handle me being James Bond's love interest, Wyatt?' she murmured, her voice low and flirtatious.

Wyatt gazed back at her, his eyes smouldering, a sly curve at one end of his lips, as he knew there was no point pretending. He had tried to act like he hadn't cared, but Lucy wasn't an idiot. She had seen the way his face had fallen whenever Fleming had approached her with a seductive gleam in his eye.

'I just think a woman like you deserves better than a playboy prick like James Bond or Ian Fleming,' Wyatt said softly.

Lucy looked amused. 'I bet it hurt to say that.'

'Little bit. But I mean it,' he said, and they smiled at each other for a moment. 'How about we do it this weekend? As in…watch the movie?' he clarified, hovering awkwardly by the door.

'This weekend sounds good,' Lucy replied. 'I'll, uh, check with Rufus too.'

'Rufus, yeah. Yeah, hope he can come along,' Wyatt said, though he wasn't completely sure if he meant it.

Lucy then reached out to touch his arm. 'Hey,' she said gently. 'Thank you for helping me yesterday. I got over the hump.'

Wyatt smiled back at her. 'So you did.'

He had done even more than that for her in this last mission. Not only had Wyatt showed that he had trust and respect for her, he had also showed her, through talking about his grandpa, what was most important – family. He had helped her figure out what should be her driving force for these missions.

And because of Wyatt, Lucy had figured out the one thing she was fighting for – Amy.


	8. Trust

**This chapter covers Episode 1x05 :)**

* * *

The familiar alarm was blaring in the operations room of Mason Industries, signalling that the Lifeboat was about to depart once more. Wyatt had just buckled Lucy into her seat, treading carefully around her because she was not in the best of moods; being called into work at midnight often did that, particularly when the phone call from Agent Christopher had interrupted an extremely tense conversation with her mother.

Flynn had just taken the Mothership to San Antonio on March the 2nd, 1836 – the Alamo. Although Lucy knew the history behind the tragedy of this event, she was counting on Wyatt to know the practicalities of how they would deal with it and get out of there alive before Flynn made any major changes. Out of all the missions they had experienced so far, this one was inevitably going to be more life-threatening…and yet Lucy was too fed up to even let herself be fearful at the moment. When would they ever be able to stop Flynn? Or at least just figure out his goal? She felt guilty for keeping secret the vague remarks Flynn had made to her throughout their trips about 'Rittenhouse', but she didn't know what else to do. The journal Flynn had shown her had been written in her own hand. It would incriminate her, and associate her with the evil wrongdoings of a murderous fugitive. She didn't want Wyatt or Rufus to see her in that way.

'So, Alamo, huh? A word synonymous with gory and inescapable death,' Rufus said bluntly as he pressed various switches and buttons on the control pad. 'Wyatt, you wanna say something strong and reassuring?'

'Hey, don't look at me,' Wyatt said, fastening his own seatbelt. 'I just got fired.'

There was a shocked pause as Lucy's head jerked up in Wyatt's direction. She stared at him.

'What?' she said, trying to conceal her panic and horror at this news – she couldn't do this without Wyatt. She knew she would never be able to bring herself to go through with these hopeless, dangerous missions without him.

'Yeah,' Wyatt replied heavily, as he strapped himself in and sorted through the appropriate weapons he'd decided to bring to the Alamo. 'This is gonna be my last mission.'

'How'd you get fired? How do _I_ get fired?' Rufus said enviously, and Wyatt chuckled softly.

Lucy still hadn't taken her eyes off Wyatt. 'I mean, you-you seem pretty okay with this,' she noted, trying not to sound too offended or disappointed that he hadn't tried to put up a fight to keep his job.

'Yeah, well, I know the guy they're bringing in. He's good. You'll like him better than me,' Wyatt said encouragingly, and he smirked at Lucy.

Lucy did not smile back. She was far from reassured. She didn't want some other soldier replacing Wyatt. They were finally starting to gel together as a team. She and Wyatt had begun to connect with each other. Or had that all just been in her head? Was Wyatt really as unbothered as he appeared on the surface that he would no longer be working with her and Rufus?

'What if those go off in here?' Lucy asked him, eyeing the small grenades Wyatt was packing securely in a rucksack propped up by his seat.

'They won't,' Wyatt said, an almost teasing tone to his voice as he smiled slyly at her. 'I know what I'm doing.'

'Okay, but still. You're bringing grenades…to the Alamo?' Lucy said sceptically, too tired and weary to roll her eyes or even try arguing with him against this.

'Well…if I get one last shot at Flynn, you better believe I'm gonna take it,' Wyatt said determinedly, and he grinned at her. 'I mean, what are they gonna do? Fire me?'

Lucy almost smiled, but her dismay at Wyatt's imminent departure was pressing on her mind. They had been going to have a movie night, all three of them. But now Wyatt was leaving, he would probably be stationed somewhere else far away…and even if he wasn't, he wouldn't be bothered about keeping in touch or hanging out with Lucy and Rufus anyway. She probably wouldn't see Wyatt again after today's mission. This would be their one last ride together…and the thought made her ache more than she could say.

* * *

Lucy, Wyatt and Rufus entered the Alamo with surprising ease; the troops were undermanned, and so desperate to take any help they could get. Lucy wasn't letting herself get too worried yet, as the pivotal battle wasn't due for another four days, however a lot could happen in four days if Flynn set his mind to it, and this battle would start the revolution that created the state of Texas. How Flynn could make it worse was anyone's guess – all 180 men within these walls would be killed in less than an hour during the battle – but after all they had seen and all Flynn had done, Lucy and the others were prepared for anything.

While Rufus explored around the fort, Lucy and Wyatt introduced themselves to Colonel Bowie so they could volunteer for the cause. Lucy tried to come up with a plausible back story for the two of them, but Wyatt interrupted her to cut straight to the chase, by asking Colonel Bowie to keep a look out for a 'Mexican sympathiser' by the name of Garcia Flynn.

'You came on a little strong with him, didn't you?' Lucy said sternly to Wyatt, the moment Colonel Bowie was out of earshot. 'I mean, I just don't want you to freak him out.'

'We don't have time to play cowboy,' Wyatt muttered dismissively, and he walked away from her with an irritated look on his face.

Lucy watched him go with a frown, perplexed. Perhaps the fact that he had been fired had only just registered with him. Or maybe he was more troubled by their surroundings and all these innocent men who they would have to let perish in a few days' time. Wyatt was familiar with war, but that didn't mean he in any way liked it.

His irritable mood persisted as the three of them looked around the fort further – he wouldn't even give Lucy and Rufus a chance to fully appreciate or freak out about Davy Crockett, who was telling one of his famous stories to a crowd of people right next to them.

'Hey – we're not tourists. Split up. Scour every inch of this place,' Wyatt said agitatedly, glaring at the two of them. 'We gotta find Flynn. You got it?'

'Yes, got it,' Lucy murmured at once, wishing he wasn't being so snappy with them.

The fort wasn't overly big, so it didn't take long for Lucy and Rufus to case every inch of the place to discover that Flynn didn't seem to have infiltrated this particular area…yet. Lucy went searching for Wyatt in case he had been more successful, and found him in the remains of an empty, dusty building which looked like a chapel, stood looking at the far wall ahead.

'Oh, good. There you are,' Lucy said, relieved, and Wyatt spun round, shocked. 'Rufus and I aren't having any luck. You?'

Wyatt slowly glanced back at the far wall, then sighed in relief and looked down at his feet. Lucy only realised then that he was breathing heavily, and there was sweat on his forehead. He was scared.

Wyatt turned back absent-mindedly to her. 'Keep looking,' he said, and his voice wavered slightly.

'Are you okay?' Lucy asked, concerned.

'Yeah,' Wyatt said airily, after a slight hesitation.

Lucy considered him for a moment then nodded unsurely. 'Okay,' she murmured, and she led the way out of the building.

They looked for a few more hours but it was only when night had fallen, and a gunshot followed by subsequent shouts of horror, that Wyatt was alerted to Flynn's potential whereabouts. He ran up to the sound to discover Colonel Bowie and Davy Crockett crouched over a dead body.

Wyatt grabbed Lucy tightly by the arm and drew her close to him before she crossed the room's threshold to see the messy pool of blood. 'That gunshot came from a semi-automatic,' he whispered to her urgently, as she gazed in horror at the dead body lying in the centre of the room. 'Flynn was right here!'

He left angrily to chase after Flynn but was only gone for a few minutes; when Wyatt returned to the office, his eyes were wide with panic, his breathing coming in quick gasps. He looked shaken.

'Lucy-'

'He got away?' Lucy guessed despairingly.

'Not just that. Santa Anna's coming,' Wyatt announced, his tone ominous.

Lucy's lips parted. 'What?!' she gasped in horrified disbelief.

'Yeah, and his entire army of 4,000 Mexicans,' Wyatt said crossly, and he seized both her arms and fixed her with his firm gaze. ' _You_ need to get out of here.'

'I'm not going anywhere!' Lucy protested, outraged at the suggestion, and she pushed his hands away.

Wyatt groaned. 'Lucy, it's too dangerous! I can't let you stay anywhere near here!' he said urgently. 'They're going to attack, and you know what's gonna happen to everyone here when they do!'

'But they can't, it's three days till-' But she cut off short at the angry look on Wyatt's face, and she sighed. 'Let me see.'

Reluctantly, Wyatt escorted her up to the wall outside. Lucy took one fleeting look at the approaching troops, their burning torches, their threatening weapons, their red flag, and then turned away. The red flag meant that they would be taking no prisoners, and would execute anyone who tried to surrender. Lucy knew this was not meant to happen – according to her studies, Santa Anna had originally let the women and children go free. And now he was marching towards the site, three days earlier than he was supposed to, with a red flag.

This was Flynn's doing. It was always Flynn.

When they headed back down from the wall, Lucy revealed the identity of the man that Flynn had shot dead: Colonel Travis. He was supposed to have died in the battle, but now Flynn had killed him before he'd had a chance to finish his famous 'Victory or Death' letter. Lucy tried to emphasise the importance of this letter to Wyatt and Rufus – how it was reprinted in U.S. newspapers all over the country, how it was the reason people remembered the Alamo, how it enabled Santa Anna's defeat in a few weeks – but Wyatt seemed completely lost in his own little world. The sight of the Mexican troops seemed to have seriously shaken him up.

'So, no letter, no Texas…' Rufus said, once Lucy had finished explaining the severity of the problem they were facing.

Lucy turned to face Wyatt; he had his back to them, and was looking over the fort, at its people and homes and families, while trying desperately to block out the sound of the marches of the oncoming troops.

'Wyatt, are you even listening?' Lucy demanded, irritated.

'All of this…and Flynn manages to trap us in the Alamo,' Wyatt said, slowly and angrily, and he gave a wry chuckle. 'Gotta hand it to him.'

'Wyatt,' Lucy snapped. 'I know that you want Flynn, but we really need you right now.'

Wyatt sighed heavily. What was the point?

'Wyatt, please,' Lucy said urgently.

He was so ready to just give up. Agent Christopher was right – he had been a failure on these missions. He had put Lucy and Rufus's lives in jeopardy more times than he could count, and he hadn't caught Flynn. And now it was too late for him to stop this. It was only Lucy's pleading, determined voice that made him see sense. He inclined his head towards her, ready to apologise, but then did a double take as he watched Colonel Bowie stood not far from them…and then he was struck with an idea.

'Rufus, you need to find a way out,' Wyatt said, turning back to his team.

'A way out?' Rufus said sceptically. 'There's two things everybody knows about the Alamo. One, everybody dies. Two, they die because there's _no way out_.'

'The Alamo didn't have anyone as smart as you. Figure it out…make a way if you have to. We need to get the women and the children out,' Wyatt said firmly, and he turned to Lucy. 'Same with the letter.'

Lucy stared at him, really losing her patience now. 'Well, like I said before, Travis didn't finish it-'

'Then finish it for him,' Wyatt interrupted, fixing her with a firm gaze, and Lucy gaped at him. 'I'm gonna try to buy us some time.'

So, while Wyatt discussed tactics with Colonel Bowie, Lucy went back to Colonel Travis's office and sat down at his desk to try and write the rest of his letter. The hours flew by, and with the break of dawn came a sinister chorus of a bugle playing from outside the walls; the Mexican army's tactic of keeping everyone up all night. Lucy hadn't slept for well over twenty-four hours now but the adrenaline kept her going – fear seemed to be her replacement for coffee on these missions. But despite the urgency of this letter needing to be sent out before the battle, and the atmosphere of impending doom…Lucy just couldn't do it. She simply couldn't remember what Travis had written. It was hopeless.

She took a break to regroup with Wyatt and Rufus so they could go over Rufus's newly devised theory of how they could escape. Davy Crockett had revealed that there was an aqueduct that ran from the fort to the river; if they could find a way to get in – which would somehow require breaking through three feet of stone underneath the chapel – then they would potentially be able to sneak the women and children out before the battle began. The only problem was how they would actually be able to achieve that in time when the battle was now imminent.

'How's the letter coming?' Wyatt asked Lucy wearily, hoping for some good news.

Lucy sighed. 'It's not. I'm having the world's worst case of writer's block,' she said despairingly, and Wyatt rolled his eyes and turned away from her to try and hide his frustration. 'I know that there's something about "patriotism" and "liberty" and "American character"…I think.'

'You don't know?' Rufus said, half-surprised, half-disappointed. ' _You're_ the historian.'

'Yeah, believe it or not, I have not memorized every single letter ever written in the history of time,' Lucy said sardonically, 'and this letter…if I don't get every single word exactly right-'

'It's just a letter,' Wyatt said in a low voice from over by the window, his eyes scrunched up; he was clearly close to breaking point.

Lucy stared at him in disbelief. 'It's _not_ just a letter. It's the letter that created Texas. No pressure or anything.'

'For God sakes, you're in your own head. Just write something, _anything_ , it doesn't have to be exact,' Wyatt said wearily.

'Oh, I can just say whatever I want, like you did with Bowie?' Lucy said sceptically, scowling at him.

'Yes. You say what's in here,' Wyatt snapped, his hand gesturing to his heart as he walked over to her intimidatingly. 'Quit pretending.'

He was glaring at her now, and it frightened Lucy. She had never seen him look so angry, so afraid, so…hopeless.

Wyatt looked back and forth between Lucy and Rufus exasperatedly, his fury evident in the sweat on his brow and the tremor in his voice. 'All this dress-up and the grade school drama and the "we're from San Felipe", I-'

'That's the job,' Lucy cut over him indignantly. 'That's _my_ job.'

'No, the job is Flynn!' Wyatt yelled, pointing a finger at her. 'And I _cannot_ do it with all of this crap!'

Lucy felt her bottom lip begin to tremble. They had never felt so hopeless before – yes, the other missions had been risky and they had survived mainly through luck, but this time, here at the Alamo…they were really stuck. For once, they had no idea what to do, and they were angry and scared and lost. And it was terrifying.

Wyatt exhaled sharply and leaned forward to Lucy. 'How am I supposed to do my job with my hands tied behind my back?' he demanded in a whisper, and he sighed helplessly. 'You know what, maybe Agent Christopher was right. Maybe I'm not the guy for the job. I'm sorry.'

Defeated, he turned to leave.

'Wyatt-' Lucy began, rushing after him, but then a loud, reverberating boom distracted her as an explosion nearby in the site shook the building and sent everyone outside running and screaming for their lives.

The three of them looked round at each other in shock.

'Stay here,' Wyatt urged them both, as further explosions shook the ground.

'Wyatt, stop! Your head's not in the game, you can't go out there, it's suicide!' Lucy protested, seizing him by the arm to stop him from walking out of the door, but he shrugged her off easily and hurried out into the pandemonium outside.

Exchanging a dark, panicked look, Lucy and Rufus followed him just in time to see Wyatt run off through a cloud of smoke and dust towards a pile of rubble nearby where a small building had stood merely seconds previously.

'WYATT!' Lucy screamed in anguish, and Rufus had to grab her by the arms to stop her from running after him as the world was rent apart all around them.

The wait was agonising, but soon enough Wyatt returned, carrying a small teenage boy in his arms. Lucy realised he had gone to save him from being buried underneath all the rubble. Even when all hope seemed lost, Wyatt was a true hero. The attack stopped almost as soon as it had started; clearly the Mexicans had just wanted to give everyone here a taste of what the upcoming battle would be like.

After checking to see that the injured boy, John Smith, was recovering nicely, Wyatt then went outside into the smoky, damaged site to begin preparing some weapons – by sharpening some wooden sticks into spears with an axe, for starters – when Colonel Bowie approached.

'So I-I appreciate you pulling young John out from under that wall,' Colonel Bowie said gratefully. 'You saved his life, you know.'

Wyatt paused. 'Anyone would have done the same.'

There was a pause as Colonel Bowie looked out at his site, at his people, and he smiled sadly. 'We're not gonna make it,' he said sombrely, and Wyatt looked up at him heavily, putting down his axe. 'Colonel Fannin and his troops ain't coming…and Santa Anna's getting his reinforcements like you said he would. Won't be long now.'

'Look, I don't like being right. I'd give anything to get your men out of this, I just don't know how. But I'm pretty sure…that I could help save the women and the children,' Wyatt said desperately.

'You want to get them out through the aqueduct, don't you? Crockett saw your man banging away on the stone,' Colonel Bowie said sceptically, sitting down.

'Rufus will figure it out,' Wyatt promised. 'But we gotta buy him the time.'

Colonel Bowie sighed. 'Well, you better tell me how.'

Wyatt considered him for a minute, then used the end of the wooden spear to draw a basic layout of the site they were in. 'Here's the fort. Now, Santa Anna's men are coming over these walls, like it or not. And if they come over all at once…it's gonna be over fast,' Wyatt said, demonstrating with his spear. 'Maybe too fast. So I want you to pull your men off the north wall. Leave it undefended.'

'The north wall's our weakest wall,' Colonel Bowie pointed out.

'Exactly, that's where you want Santa Anna to attack. Your soldiers won't be getting hit on all four sides – instead, you'll bottle-neck 'em right through here,' Wyatt explained, but then he paused, wishing there was more he could do to help. 'This won't stop 'em…but it'll slow 'em down. Hopefully long enough to get the civilians out.'

Colonel Bowie was staring at him in awe. 'You done this before. Haven't you? Where?'

Wyatt looked down briefly; he didn't want to talk about this…it was bad enough him thinking about it and experiencing those horrific flashbacks that seemed so vivid. 'Nowhere near here,' he replied, and he looked around the fort thoughtfully. 'It was kind of like this, though. We were…pinned down, outmanned, outgunned. I'm the only one that made it out.'

Wyatt was staring at the ground in disgust.

'Your men…they last long?' Colonel Bowie asked tentatively.

'Wish I knew. I left them behind,' Wyatt replied, trying to keep his voice from wavering. 'One of us had to get this important piece of intelligence out, so…we flipped a damn coin. It was between me and my buddy, Zachary. We were the only two not wounded. I'm the jerk that had to call heads. Zach…he said I was meant to survive. You know, like it was fate, as if _that's_ a thing. So six men…held off a hundred fighters…so I could escape. I left them there to die…and they gave me a medal for it.'

He had forced himself to look up at Colonel Bowie now, but nothing – not the tremble in his voice, the tears in his eyes – could express just how fierce his self-loathing was in that very moment. Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan, the coward who had been rewarded for running away. Agent Christopher had been awestruck when she'd first met him, praising his so-called reputation, but now she truly knew just how pathetic and useless he really was. He had let his own men down…and now he would soon let Lucy and Rufus down when his plan would inevitably fail.

 _Lucy._ He couldn't let her die out here. He just couldn't.

As Wyatt glared down at his feet and fought back tears, Colonel Bowie then spoke up. 'Crockett. Pull all our men, the cannon, everything off the north wall. We're gonna try and get the women and children out,' he said determinedly.

He nodded at Wyatt, who had risen to his feet, and then left. Wyatt stared into space for a moment before turning around to see that Lucy was sat nearby, hidden from view behind a fence, as she fetched and prepared some clothing and materials to be used as bandages. Their eyes met, and Wyatt knew from the look on her face that she had heard every word he had spoken to Colonel Bowie. His face fell; his eyes flickering to the ground, he then strode past without saying a word, casting her a dark glance before joining Colonel Bowie and the rest of his men prepare.

He wasn't just furious, he was deeply upset; out of all the people he knew, Lucy was the last person he would have chosen to hear that story. Now she would think even worse of him. She had heard him open up about yet another tragic event in his life that had been haunting him ever since…only this was something he could have changed. And now she would view him only as a feeble pretender of a soldier who would always fail to protect his fellow team members.

Lucy watched him go, agonised and desperately sympathetic, and she wished she could find the words to convey to him just how much it didn't matter, how he should forgive himself, how he should channel his anger and pain into being the brave hero he still was today and always had been…how it was not too late to save the timeline of what happened at the Alamo.

And then it hit her.

The letter.

Inspired, Lucy hurried back inside and upstairs to Colonel Travis's office. She found a new piece of parchment, and sat at his desk. She smiled before she began to write, the words coming easily now as she thought of Wyatt:

 _When I was young, I'd read stories about great heroes doing great deeds. The truth is, real heroes don't look at all like I pictured. They're far from perfect._ _Bull-headed, stubborn, reckless – and also recklessly brave. They charge in without a thought to themselves. Not without fear or doubt, but in spite of it._

 _We are all scared. But we are going to fight and die anyway, to give everyone else a chance at a better future. Because the future matters._

 _Victory or death._

 _Signed,_

 _The men and women of the Alamo._

* * *

When the battle begun, Lucy stayed with the children in one of the remaining buildings and tended to their wounds while trying not to think about Wyatt out there. She didn't know if he was still alive or hurt, and it was destroying her to know that their lasts words spoken to each other had been in an argument, that their last look that had passed between them had been hostile. So, it came as a welcome relief when Rufus found her to reveal that he'd managed to blow a hole through the stone in the chapel – they now had their way out through the aqueduct. As explosions rent the air and the buildings shook and crumbled around them, Lucy ordered the women and children to follow Rufus to the aqueduct, while she went to fetch Wyatt.

When Lucy stepped outside, it took her every bit of courage not to go running back after Rufus and the civilians. The air was full of gunfire, explosions, canons, yelling, blood, falling bodies…and yet she somehow managed to force herself to run through it all, dodging bullets and canon fire until she fought her way through the smoke to at last find Wyatt, hidden from view and staring at the ground in shock, the hand holding his pistol limp. Panting, Lucy dived down to the ground so that she was on his level, and scrambled over to him.

'Oh! Wyatt,' she cried out in relief, grabbing his knees and shaking them roughly, smiling to see that he was still alive, still fighting.

Wyatt turned to face her in shock and grabbed her wrists, pulling her further under the shelter so that she was more safely hidden from view. 'Lucy?!' he yelled over the gunfire, and he glanced over his shoulder, panic-stricken.

'Rufus did it!' Lucy said triumphantly, and she shook his hands again to get his attention. 'There's a way out. Come on, let's go.'

She turned to lead the way to the chapel but then screamed out as Wyatt grabbed her and pulled her out of the way just before a passing bullet hit her. He pushed her down to his lap, his arms shielding her protectively from the gunfire, and looked around the fort fearfully. How was she going to get out of here alive?

Lucy then sat up and gazed at him desperately. 'We have to go! Now,' she said urgently, and she frowned at the spaced-out look of despair on Wyatt's face as he watched the men fighting all around them. 'Wyatt? Wyatt!'

She was beginning to panic now. She had never seen Wyatt look like that before. His decision made, Wyatt gazed back at her and shook his head.

'I'm not going,' he said in a low voice.

Lucy frowned at him, confused. 'What? No,' she said desperately, watching him reload his pistol. 'What do you mean?'

'You don't need me,' Wyatt said dismissively, focussing on his gun. 'They're getting rid of me anyway, right?'

The gunshots and screams around them were nothing more than a blurry, distant echo to Lucy now. All she could hear and see was Wyatt, and it was frightening her more than any battle ever could.

'You can't stay here. Everybody dies,' Lucy said, her voice shaking, as she grabbed his arms fiercely.

'No, I know,' Wyatt insisted, and he sighed, helpless; he owed her an explanation for why, he knew that. 'I can't leave good men like this, not again.'

Lucy thought back to what he had said to Colonel Bowie. She knew from that conversation that he was deeply troubled by what had happened on his mission in Afghanistan, that he felt guilty…but suicidal? The world was falling apart around them, but all Lucy could do was stare in horror as Wyatt proceeded to shoot more Mexican troops. She couldn't let this happen, she couldn't abandon him to die. He was so much more to her than just some soldier hired to protect and eliminate. After what they had been through…she couldn't let him do this. And she was never going to leave him.

'No,' Lucy said firmly, as Wyatt crouched back down to hide from the gunfire overhead. ' _No_ , Wyatt.'

Wyatt smiled at her sadly, a sceptical look on his face 'What difference does it make?' he said wryly, furiously reloading his gun, and Lucy gazed at him in anguish through tear-filled eyes. 'Jessica, everyone I care about is gone!'

Lucy felt a lump rise in her throat. _What about me?_

Wyatt leaned towards her, breathing heavily. 'Let me do one good thing,' he said, and for a second he was lost in those beautiful brown eyes of hers. 'Let me buy you the time to get out.'

But Lucy was shaking her head desperately, and as he turned to head back to the fight, Lucy seized his arm and pulled him roughly back to her. 'What about us?' she demanded. 'We're counting on you.'

'The next guy's gonna handle it,' Wyatt reassured her, trying but failing to conceal his terror at the battle commencing around them.

'I don't want anybody else,' Lucy said firmly, her voice shaking like never before, and she reached out and cupped his face in both her hands, shaking it fiercely. 'Look, I – trust – you. _You_ are the one that I trust. Rufus needs you. I need you. Okay?'

Wyatt gazed back at her in shock, his eyes bloodshot, his lips trembling as he tried to come up with something to say, and he glanced despairingly over her shoulder at Colonel Bowie and Davy Crockett firing their guns at the enemy. He couldn't run away again. But then he registered the firm squeeze of Lucy's shaking hands on his face, and saw the agony in her eyebrows, her tears, her bruised face that was scrunched up in so much pain and fear. And he realised then that if there was anyone he couldn't abandon…it was Lucy Preston.

Choking back tears, he looked back over his shoulder to check the surroundings, then took hold of her wrist, removing her hand from just above his neck. He looked agitated, and for one second Lucy thought he was going to swear or shout at her.

'Get ready to run,' he said determinedly through gritted teeth.

'Okay!' Lucy cried, overcome with relief, and, half-sobbing, she scrambled up to her feet.

Wyatt grabbed her hand and raised his gun, before the two of them set off at a fierce sprint towards the chapel. He shielded her with his arms the whole time as the bullets and canons aimed in their direction, and then miraculously, they arrived at the chapel…along with an injured John Smith, the boy who Wyatt had saved earlier. Once they had helped all the women and children down into the tunnel below the chapel floor, Lucy managed to get Wyatt to persuade John Smith, Travis's original messenger, to deliver her letter to General Houston. She could only hope that it would be enough for the timeline to be restored.

* * *

Wyatt was silent the whole way back to the Lifeboat, and once they were inside the capsule, it was Lucy's turn to help him with his seatbelts instead; his hands were shaking too much. He was as white as a ghost.

'Hey,' Lucy said softly to him, placing a hand over his when she'd fastened his buckle. 'It's okay.'

Wyatt looked up from her hand to her tear-streaked face. He couldn't believe what he had nearly just done, what he had put her through. He couldn't believe they had all managed to get out of their alive.

'I'm sorry,' he whispered in a tremoring voice, and a tear escaped down his cheek.

Lucy wiped it away gently with her fingers, before leaning back in her seat to attempt to work out her own seatbelts. 'You have nothing to be sorry about, Wyatt,' she reassured him.

She had experienced PTSD before, and she knew Wyatt prided duty as one of the most important qualities in a person. She couldn't pretend to know the challenges he had faced in today's mission, but she understood how he felt. All that mattered now was that he was back, and he was safe. They all were.

'C'mon. Back to 2016,' Rufus said in a bracing tone, turning to the switches on the control pad.

'Or some version of it,' Lucy said ominously. 'I doubt my letter even worked.'

Wyatt sniffed and took a deep breath, almost embarrassed. 'What did you write, in the end?' he asked, interested. 'Did you remember what Travis said?'

'No actually. I did what you said,' Lucy admitted, her lips twitching. 'I wrote from the heart.'

 _I wrote about you._

Wyatt smiled at her. It was the first time he had smiled properly since they had entered the Alamo…and it was the most precious thing Lucy had seen in days.

When they arrived back at Mason Industries, Lucy jumped clumsily out of the Lifeboat and immediately asked Agent Christopher whether Texas existed or not – it was a huge relief to find out that it did. She and the others then joined Rufus at his work station to look online at what was now recorded to have happened at the Alamo.

'"The men, including Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, were killed. But the women and children escaped, and the word of the Alamo inspired Texas to rise up and defeat Santa Anna,"' Rufus read out from his computer, relieved.

Mason smiled. 'And the fact that we even know that-'

'-Means your letter got out,' Rufus finished for him.

'That must have been one hell of a letter,' Wyatt said, looking up at Lucy.

Lucy gazed back at him in surprise and smiled, touched.

'I'll say,' Rufus agreed.

They sat there in silence for a moment, their ears still ringing from the sounds of gunfire and explosions, and then Deputy Director Patrick Ramsey, Agent Christopher's boss at the NCTC, approached them.

'I gather that Flynn is still out there,' was his greeting.

There was an awkward pause.

'Yes, but…he did have a _very_ large army at his back this time,' Lucy replied, but it was no good.

'You're relieved of duty,' Director Ramsey said at once to Wyatt. 'You can report to your commanding officer for reassignment.'

Wyatt got up to his feet, desperate to get out of the building as fast as he could before he could let Lucy see just how angry and upset he was at this news. 'Yes, sir,' he muttered, looking away.

Lucy was staring at the floor in dismay, and her eyes flickered up to Rufus. She knew he was thinking the same thing. Despite Wyatt's temper and aggression and reckless urge to sacrifice himself at the Alamo, they didn't want anyone else.

'Master Sergeant Baumgardner is in the waiting room, where he is about to learn that time travel is real,' Agent Christopher said wearily, and at her words Lucy leapt to her feet.

' _No_ , just…just hold on,' Lucy protested, and Wyatt looked around at her in shock, confused.

Agent Christopher watched, bewildered, as Wyatt and Lucy gazed at each other…and then she understood.

'You can't replace Wyatt,' Lucy said, acting a lot braver than she felt as she addressed Director Ramsey.

'Lucy-' Wyatt began, but Lucy went on determinedly.

'We're the ones out there risking our lives. I trust him, he makes the right choice every time, I _won't_ do it without him,' Lucy said firmly.

Rufus then got up to his feet as well. ' _We_ won't do it without him.'

'Rufus-' Mason protested, as Wyatt looked at Lucy and Rufus, stunned.

'I know I'm just supposed to shut up and cooperate, but I can't,' Rufus said to Mason, and he shared a nod with Lucy. 'I won't.'

Wyatt looked down at his feet. These two people who he barely knew were risking their jobs here for him. He was lost for words.

'Rufus is our only pilot, sir. Without him…' Agent Christopher trailed off; nothing more needed to be said.

Lucy turned hopefully back to Wyatt, and gave him a smile.

Director Ramsey was eyeing Wyatt sceptically. 'What you've done to deserve this, I can't imagine.'

'So he can stay?' Lucy asked hopefully.

'Seems you gave us no choice,' Agent Christopher said, and as Director Ramsey walked away, she flashed them all a pleased smile; she'd never wanted to fire Wyatt in the first place, after all.

Lucy and Rufus exchanged a triumphant smile, and then Lucy turned around to face Wyatt. He was leant against Rufus's desk, looking dazed. For a minute she thought he was angry. But then, slowly but surely, Wyatt began to smile.

'You didn't have to do that,' he murmured.

Lucy smiled. 'Of course we did. We're a team.'

'We stick together,' Rufus said, and he clapped Wyatt on the back before walking away to get changed and washed, leaving only Lucy and Wyatt at the desk simply looking at each other.

Wyatt sighed. 'So…'

'So.'

There was a pause as they got lost in each other's eyes. Something had changed between them today, from the moment Lucy had placed her hands on his face and convinced him to leave the Alamo. He had seen in her tearful, panicked face back then just how much he meant to her…and she had seen just how damaged he was, how much support he needed. And she could be that support for him.

'You saved me from getting fired. And from getting killed,' Wyatt said heavily, his eyes never leaving hers.

Lucy tilted her head at him. 'I did, didn't I? I hope it's not gonna become a regular thing.'

'Me too,' Wyatt said, his lips twitching. 'Seriously, Lucy, thank you.'

'You would have done the same for me,' Lucy murmured, brushing a strand of her messy hair out of her face, and then she frowned worriedly when he didn't respond. 'You would, wouldn't you?'

'Eh…maybe,' Wyatt said, shrugging. 'Would depend on how annoying you were being at the time.'

'Fair enough,' Lucy said, and they both smiled amusedly at each other, before Wyatt's expression became serious once more.

'I owe you big time.'

'I'm sure you'll…find a way to make it up to me,' Lucy said, trying not to sound too flirtatious as she looked down at her torn clothes nervously.

Wyatt's lips twitched. 'I certainly will. And, listen…I know I said earlier that everyone I care about is gone. I hope you know that's not true anymore,' he said sincerely, and Lucy looked back up at him. 'You and Rufus are…well, no one can be just work colleagues in this kind of job, can they?'

'Does that mean what I think it means? You consider us friends now?' Lucy asked teasingly.

Wyatt paused in mock thought. 'Hmm. Not sure I'd go that far,' he said, and they grinned at each other.

When Lucy had departed for home, Wyatt decided to stay behind to look at the Alamo articles Rufus had left up on his computer. He found a copy of Lucy's letter easily, and read it with a smile on his face. She really was incredible. She had saved Texas, the timeline, him…everything. He felt the warmth flood through him just at the thought of her now, at what she had done for him today, and suddenly found himself eager to see his favourite history nerd again in their next inevitable mission. There was a trust between him and Lucy now like he'd felt with no other person before…a trust he doubted could ever be broken.


	9. Lucy's Betrayal

**This chapter covers Episode 1x06 :)**

* * *

Unfortunately, Wyatt's pleasant revelation was proven wrong merely a few weeks afterwards, on a new mission that sent him, Lucy and Rufus to the Watergate scandal in 1972.

The day had started off fine. He and Lucy had even had an in-depth chat in the wardrobe dock about her troubling predicament with her long-lost father that she had only recently found out existed.

'So, just to be clear, you lurked outside your dad's house for hours without ever knocking,' Wyatt said, frowning, as he grabbed a jacket to go over his pink shirt, and his lips twitched. 'You know there are stalker laws, right?'

'Correction – I had a dad. This man is just my…biological father,' Lucy said, following him out of the wardrobe dock.

'You're still his daughter,' Wyatt pointed out, as he put on his striking jacket.

Lucy raised her eyebrows. 'A daughter that he didn't want to see for my entire life.'

'Listen,' Wyatt said sympathetically, turning back to her. 'I don't know what kind of guy is gonna answer that door, but I do know, at some point…you're gonna have to knock.'

Lucy looked back at him sceptically. Her hair looked different today – it was a lot straighter – and she wore a floral-patterned dress that suited her slender shape well. Why did she always have to look so attractive?

They were interrupted before they could continue their discussion; Agent Christopher was handing over fake, albeit authentic, press credentials that would enable them to get into the White House. Lucy had theorised that Flynn had travelled to June the 20th, 1972 in order to get to the Nixon tapes – after all, this was the date that Nixon recorded the missing 18 1/2 minutes that Lucy had kept gushing excitedly about to them for the past hour. No one knew what was on there and what had been said in the Oval Office, but one thing was for sure – Flynn was probably going to steal the tape before it got erased.

'Cute suit, Wyatt,' Lucy teased, as Wyatt buckled her into her seat on the Lifeboat.

'Shut up,' Wyatt muttered, trying not to smile.

1970's Washington was a lot more 'hipster' than the team had imagined. As the three of them walked through the crowds, they looked around admiringly at the protests, the loud music playing in the park, the dancing teenagers…but Lucy's awestruck smile didn't last long as a fight broke out amongst some officers and protestors. Wyatt stepped forward automatically to help calm the situation down, but in the chaos that ensued, he lost sight of Lucy…and then heard her cry for help.

'Wyatt!'

Wyatt spun round, panicked. 'Lucy!' he yelled back, looking around desperately for her.

'Wyatt, help!' Lucy's distant voice called over the overlapping shouts and jeers from the protestors.

 _No. Not Lucy._

'Lucy!' Wyatt shouted, fighting his way through the crowd.

'Wyatt, where are you?!'

He saw Flynn's face before he felt the taser gun…in his peripheral vision, he saw the burnt orange colour of Lucy's long coat as an unknown male figure dragged her away, out of sight…and then all went black.

* * *

When Wyatt regained consciousness, he was irritated to find that he had been tied to a chair in the middle of an empty, dusty room…but was relieved to see that Lucy and Rufus were sat on either side of him. At least they were not separated…although it was still terribly infuriating that their enemy had managed to capture them within ten minutes of them landing.

Flynn then entered, revealing that they were in the hotel room they had stayed at an entire century ago near the Ford Theatre where Abraham Lincoln had been shot…and also that he had somehow obtained the Nixon tape already. Lucy was somewhat comforted by Wyatt's reassuring look as he tried to slowly remove the nail on the back of his chair…but then was completely thrown off by the sound of President Nixon's voice as Flynn played the tape to the three of them.

'… _-Have to give the press another story, because the real truth is this doc is more important than anyone knows. If Rittenhouse-'_

' _Mr. President, we can't discuss Rittenhouse in here.'_

' _We need to get the doc back. We need to get the doc back now.'_

' _And if we can't?'_

' _I'm done. They'll see to that. Not just with the presidency, but with my wife, with my girls. Rittenhouse plays by different rules. Do you understand who they are? How deep I'm in with Ritten-?'_

Flynn stopped the tape player. He and Lucy had been staring at each other the whole time since it had started playing. And now Lucy felt like everything she had believed since meeting Flynn was wrong…it was not just a paranoid delusion of his. Rittenhouse was real. She thought back to everything he had said to her when they had met previously…

' _I lost my whole family…Rittenhouse murdered them.'…'Rittenhouse isn't a "him", it's a "they"…'_

Oh, God. What was really going on here?

'This document Nixon wants-' Flynn began.

'I don't know anything about it,' Lucy interrupted at once, shaking her head desperately. 'I don't know what he's talking about, okay?'

'I believe you. I even looked in here,' Flynn said, and Lucy felt her stomach drop as she saw him pull out the journal he had shown her right after the Hindenburg crashed, when they had first met. 'I couldn't find _anything_ about this document.'

Rufus frowned. 'What's that?'

Flynn looked amused. 'Oh, this is Lucy's journal. What, she never told you about it?'

Wyatt looked sideways at Lucy, and noticed that she had closed her eyes. 'What's he talking about?' he asked her, frowning.

'I didn't write it,' Lucy replied quickly, but she couldn't look at Wyatt for longer than a few seconds…she couldn't bear his scrutinizing gaze…

'Well, it's complicated. You see, she's going to write it, a few years from now,' Flynn explained.

'What?'

'I know – time travel, right? Pew! It's my guide,' Wyatt said, clearly having the time of his life with the uncomfortable tension this was causing between his captors. 'Apparently, she and I are gonna be quite the team one day.'

Lucy turned back to see that Wyatt and Rufus were looking at her as if they had never seen her properly until now, and she hated it. She just wanted to sink right through the floor. Why hadn't she just told them about Flynn and the journal from the very beginning?

Wyatt could see the guilt etched in every feature of Lucy's expression, and he could hardly believe she was the same person who had cried, ' _You_ are the one that I trust!' with such desperation and anguish merely weeks ago.

'It's not real,' Lucy said urgently to Wyatt and Rufus, staring into Wyatt's eyes that were full of such disappointment. 'It's a fake.'

Wyatt stared back at her. He didn't know what to think. He felt like he didn't even know her anymore.

'Lucy, we've talked about this,' Flynn said patronisingly. 'You even admitted it's your own handwriting.'

'No,' Lucy protested, spinning round on her seat to glare at him. 'I said it _looked_ like my handwriting, not that I ever wrote it or ever will.'

'But you did talk to Flynn?' Rufus asked, sounding half-surprised, half-appalled, and Lucy felt her face fall. 'When?'

'Ooh, let's see, err…at the train station in 1865, the Nazi castle in Germany…Lucy, what _have_ you told them about us?' Flynn asked, laughing.

Lucy hated him more than ever in this very moment. He was making it sound worse than it actually was, as if she had been hiding some secret affair or something. She had done nothing wrong…had she?

Wyatt was looking at Lucy and Lucy only. 'Is that true?' he asked quietly in a low voice.

Lucy hesitated and slowly turned to face him, her expression pitiful. 'It's complicated,' she murmured.

'No,' Wyatt said simply, and his voice wavered slightly. 'The truth is not complicated.'

She would have preferred it if he had shouted; this cold, quiet anger and disappointment was far worse than any disagreement or argument she had experienced with Wyatt before. He was looking at her like he was ashamed to be in her company…and she didn't blame him.

'I don't know what the truth is anymore,' Lucy admitted, her eyes imploring him to see reason, but all he could do was look at her and feel the betrayal wash over him.

So much for being the one she trusted.

'Okay, the truth is she didn't believe in Rittenhouse until President Nixon just confirmed it,' Flynn interjected impatiently. 'But for now, if Rittenhouse wants this document so badly, whatever it is, I want it first.'

'How are we supposed to find it?' Lucy asked sceptically.

'If there's one thing you've proven, it's your resourcefulness,' Flynn said, and with that he pulled out a knife and began to cut her free from the knotted rope securing her to the chair. 'You'll find a way.'

Lucy winced as her hands were released; they had been stinging from the tightness of the rope for a while now, and got up from her seat as Flynn proceeded to cut Rufus free.

'If you don't bring me the document in five hours-' Flynn began threateningly, but Wyatt finished for him.

'You'll kill me?' he said wearily; he was so done with this already. 'Why don't you do it now, save everyone some time?'

Lucy looked down at Wyatt, still tied to his chair. She could see he was still angry, but it wasn't just that – he was hurt. She had ruined everything between them now, she could see that.

'It's up to you,' Flynn said brightly.

Wyatt fixed Lucy with that determined look of his. 'Go straight to the Lifeboat. Screw Flynn. Do _not_ give him what he wants,' he ordered through gritted teeth.

Lucy exchanged a look with Rufus, and then gazed back at Wyatt, who nodded at her firmly. If they somehow managed to retrieve this document and hand it over to Flynn, then President Nixon's future could be damaged. It could change America beyond repair. But this was _Wyatt_. In that moment Lucy realised then that she cared more about this one man than the whole of history.

'Five hours. Don't hurt him,' Lucy said to Flynn quickly, before retreating with Rufus from the room.

Wyatt's eyes widened in horror. 'Lucy. Lucy, damn it, listen to me!' he yelled after her angrily, struggling against the ropes binding him to the chair. 'DON'T! Lucy!'

But she and Rufus had already gone.

* * *

The hours began to pass slowly, far too slowly. Wyatt just wanted this over with. He hoped Rufus would make Lucy see sense and persuade her to go back to the Lifeboat. He knew they were loyal to him – or so he'd thought, until Lucy had turned out to be Flynn's secret best friend – but they couldn't let any emotions get in the way of this, not when Flynn was involved. They couldn't give in to blackmail, and they couldn't negotiate with Flynn – it was what Agent Christopher would have ordered. Lucy knew this, so why was she doing this, why on earth was she following Flynn's orders? Maybe she just wanted to make up for all those times she had lied to Wyatt about Flynn. But no, she couldn't risk changing the timeline just for that. What kind of stupid historian was she anyway? Even Wyatt knew what could happen if she gave Flynn this document. The consequences to the timeline were unthinkable. His life was worth nothing compared to that.

Occasionally, Flynn would come in to the hotel room to take over from his henchmen keeping watch, and when he did, he would begin talking in vague, mysterious quips to Wyatt, which only infuriated him more.

'It's got to be hard,' Flynn said in a fake sympathetic voice. 'You know as well as I do – a soldier's only as good as the guy beside him in the foxhole. And if your _own team_ is lying to you-'

'Mm, yeah,' Wyatt interrupted, his nostrils flaring at the statement as he tried his hardest to conceal his anger, and he smiled sceptically up at Flynn. 'Wow. You are really Jedi-mind-tricking the crap out of me, pal. You really think this psych routine's gonna work?'

'Not a routine, Wyatt. We're two grunts in the same war. The only difference is, lately, you're fighting on the wrong side,' Flynn said earnestly. 'I just wish you could understand that.'

'Well, make me understand,' Wyatt said cynically, and Flynn raised his eyebrows at him. 'No, no, no I'm serious. We're just, err, sitting here. Two grunts, right? So explain to me how you're not just some creepy sociopath.'

Flynn shrugged. 'I've got nothing to hide. Not like Lucy,' he added, as he grabbed Rufus's chair and sat down; Wyatt forced a smile and turned away at the sound of her name.

And so Flynn told him everything. Before all of this had begun, while on a job, Garcia Flynn had stumbled onto huge sums of money being funnelled through the Caymans to Connor Mason, to help him achieve his latest ambition: time travel. He had subsequently broken the encryption to find out that Rittenhouse were supplying the money for Mason Industries, and reported these transfers to his NSA contacts. Four days later, his wife and daughter were shot dead in their house, and Flynn had barely escaped; Rittenhouse framed him for the murder of his family, and thus Flynn began on his quest. This was why he was here, why he had stolen the Mothership to travel all over to various events in the past – to wipe all traces of Rittenhouse from the map. And then maybe, just maybe, his family could be saved.

Wyatt couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. This man…he was _evil_. He was threatening Wyatt's own life, and he had killed numerous people without a care in the world. And now, it turned out he was doing it all just to save his family? Did that mean that he was just like Wyatt? Would Wyatt, if he were given the chance and Agent Christopher allowed him to try, kill anyone who got in the way so he could try and save his wife?

As time crept on, Flynn stayed with Wyatt, making the occasional comment as he sat opposite him and read through Lucy's supposed journal from the future. Wyatt kept casting it dark glances, wishing he wasn't so curious about what was written inside it. Had Lucy written about him? Would she and Wyatt even still know each other years from now? After what had transpired between them today, he couldn't imagine exactly wanting to carry on working or being friends with her.

Flynn sighed as he glanced at his watch. 'Two hours left. I wonder if your friends are gonna make it.'

'Well, why don't you look in that magical future book, it should tell you,' Wyatt suggested wryly.

'Doesn't say.'

'But it told you to come to 1972?' Wyatt asked sceptically, as he managed to finally remove the nail from the back of his chair.

'It has an entry on the erased Nixon tape, yes,' Flynn replied.

'So how's this end? Do you kill me? Am I rescued?' Wyatt asked, amused by Flynn's frustration. 'What's the point spread in the next Super Bowl? Who's playing?'

'I don't know what happens today because the journal doesn't tell me everything,' Flynn said irritably, holding out the journal. 'Lucy didn't write about everything. And what is written does sometimes sound crazy…like a different Lucy.'

'Yeah…Lucy's the one that sounds crazy,' Wyatt muttered, glaring up at him; even in spite of what had happened, he couldn't not defend her.

'You want to know what she wrote about you?' Flynn asked, almost teasingly, as he leant back, and Wyatt looked away with a smile, part of him secretly pleased that he had played on Lucy's mind enough for her to write about. 'About your wife?' he added.

Wyatt looked up. He had not expected that. 'My wife's dead. It's no big secret,' he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

'Well, by the time Lucy writes this thing, she knows a lot more than that,' Flynn said tantalisingly, flicking through the pages of the journal, and Wyatt was genuinely shocked now – why on earth would a future version of himself want to talk in detail to Lucy about this? 'Let's see…you were out with Jessica. That's her name, right?'

Wyatt's nostrils began to flare.

'At that dive bar – what is it? Pelican Lounge? In San Diego. She ran into an old boyfriend at the bar,' Flynn said, evidently enjoying himself as he glanced down at the entry Lucy had written, and Wyatt swallowed nervously, his face blank, his breathing heavy as he tried to keep himself calm. 'You were jealous. You drank too much. As you were driving home, you had a major fight, started shouting…she told you to stop the car, she got out right there on the side of the road. And you drove off!'

He said the last sentence in a tone of surprise, and looked up from the journal into Wyatt's agonised face. Wyatt couldn't believe Lucy – any version of Lucy, future or not – could know this. He couldn't believe she had written it down. Yet one more way in which she had betrayed him.

'Shut the hell up,' Wyatt whispered. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was shaking all over.

But Flynn ignored him and proceeded to read the journal. 'It took you, what, only 20 minutes until you cooled down…came back for her. By then she was gone. Never came home that night. Or any night. Not until two weeks later when they found her, strangled in the bushes. Never even caught who did it.'

'I said, shut the hell UP!' Wyatt roared, furious; how could this monster bring that all flooding back to him? Why did he have to make him think of that, of what he had done to Jessica?

But Flynn pointed a finger to silence him. 'Listen to this. "Wyatt's obsessed with his wife's death. He needs to let go, move on." Lucy's words, not mine,' he said, making Wyatt's heart sink, and he showed Wyatt the journal where the newspaper article reporting Jessica's death was clipped next to paragraphs written in Lucy's handwriting.

Out of everything Flynn had just recited to him, it was this quote from Lucy herself that stung Wyatt the most.

'Me? I understand. More than most,' Flynn went on, and the chair rattled aggressively as Wyatt struggled against the ropes, wanting nothing more than to strangle him. 'You can't let go…because we _can_ change history. And somehow, some way, we can save the people we love.'

Wyatt stared at him furiously, trying not to let Flynn's words seep into his mind, but it was already too late. Maybe he _could_ persuade Agent Christopher to let him travel back and save Jessica, after all, (if he ever got out of this mess). To hell with what Lucy had written. Maybe he was obsessed and maybe he did need to let go and move on. But Wyatt didn't care about that. If there was a chance, _any_ chance, he could somehow prevent Jessica's death, then he would take it. He had to, or the guilt would eat him up until there was nothing left of him. He had abandoned her and she had been killed because of his drunken mistake…the only way he would be able to forgive himself would be if he tried to do what Flynn was doing right this second, and get his loved one back. And no one, not even Lucy Preston, would be able to stop him.

* * *

When his five hours were up, Wyatt hated to admit to himself that he felt a little dismayed that it seemed Lucy and Rufus had indeed changed their minds. Yes, he knew the right thing to do had been to escape in the Lifeboat, but still – he didn't really want to die because of it. Therefore it came as a huge surprise to him when Flynn and his henchmen announced that Lucy had just called from a payphone to tell them where to pick up this mysterious Rittenhouse document. They left to investigate, leaving just one of Flynn's henchmen behind to guard the room, and merely minutes later there was the sound of glass smashing from somewhere directly outside the building. The henchman immediately withdrew his gun from underneath his jacket and left the room to check what the noise was all about.

And then Wyatt jerked his head round at the sound of the creaky window sliding open, and was astonished to see Lucy scrambling through. His heart leapt at the sight of her. He watched her anxiously as she tumbled down and fell clumsily to the floor with a little moan. Rolling his eyes, Wyatt looked back to the door to check that the henchman hadn't yet returned, and Lucy rushed to his side.

'Oh my God, are you okay?' Lucy breathed anxiously.

'Yeah, he's coming back soon,' Wyatt said impatiently. 'There's a nail in the trash can. Get it.'

'Okay, okay. I got it,' Lucy said, rummaging around in the trash can and retrieving the nail Wyatt had tried to use to escape earlier, and she gasped. 'Oh, my God, so small!'

'Hurry,' Wyatt urged.

'Oh, God!' Lucy whimpered, trying to unlock the new handcuffs that Wyatt had been fastened with, and she accidentally pricked his wrist with the nail. 'Sorry!'

'What are you doing?!' Wyatt demanded incredulously. 'You can't pick a lock!'

'I was just trying to be helpful,' Lucy said in a small voice, panicked.

'Put it in my hand here,' Wyatt told her, and she did so…and scrambled up to her feet as she heard the heavy footsteps approaching the room…nearer and nearer…

Wyatt leapt from his chair and pushed Lucy behind the door outside of harm's way just as the henchman came marching back through to check on his prisoner. After a great deal of thumping, Wyatt had beaten the man unconscious; as the henchman sloped onto the ground, Wyatt turned, panting heavily, to see that Lucy had a lamp she'd found on the floor held upright, ready to strike.

'You good?!' she asked, gazing fearfully at him.

Wyatt stared at her exasperatedly. 'Yeah, go!' he urged.

'Okay!' Lucy said at once, and she put the lamp back down and led the way out of the building.

Lucy updated him on what had happened with Rufus while they ran as far as they could from Flynn's hideout. Their investigation had taken them to a Black Liberation Army safe house, where they had discovered that the important document was actually a black woman known as 'Doc'; she was a former Rittenhouse member who knew the organization's entire roster, and was thus in danger from the entirety of Rittenhouse.

Once Lucy and Wyatt had reunited with Rufus, they saw 'Doc' carefully away, where she was taken into hiding for her own safety, and then Rufus told Wyatt everything that he had also been hiding about Rittenhouse. Apparently, Rufus had been secretly using a recording device throughout all their missions so far to create an audio tape of their trips, on the strict orders of Rittenhouse. When he had refused to carry on doing it, they had threatened his family.

Wyatt couldn't bear to take it in. He just couldn't believe it. After feeling so touched the other week when Lucy and Rufus had saved him from being fired, after feeling like he at last belonged somewhere again, that there were people who really cared about him…and now this. They were liars, plain and simple. Both of them had hidden vital information that affected everything about their missions. This Rittenhouse organisation was dangerous, incredibly dangerous, and Wyatt had never felt more alone or in need of his wife's support. After giving Lucy a dark look, Wyatt walked ahead in silence as they made their way slowly back to the Lifeboat, but soon enough Rufus lost his patience.

'Look, Wyatt, you got to say something sometime,' he said quietly, while Lucy watched Wyatt carefully. 'I'm really sorry, but…I didn't have a choice. Rittenhouse _made_ me spy on you-'

'You're gonna keep spying on us,' Wyatt interrupted agitatedly, not looking at either of them as he carried on walking. 'Keep recording Lucy and me.'

Rufus frowned, confused. 'What?'

'All of us will act like everything is normal,' Wyatt said firmly, and he stopped walking and rounded on them both.

They looked so innocent. It made it harder for Wyatt to be angry at them…particularly Lucy, after she had just saved his life… _again_.

'Why would we do that?' she asked suspiciously.

'Because Rufus is gonna be spying on Rittenhouse for us,' Wyatt said irritably, and he fixed Rufus with a stern look. 'Whatever you find out about them, you're gonna tell me. We're gonna figure out what the hell's going on here. You got it?'

'Like a double agent,' Rufus said nervously, and there was an awkward pause. 'I can barely single agent.'

'Yeah, well, congrats on the undeserved promotion, I guess you're gonna learn on the job. And _you_?' Wyatt said roughly, scowling directly at Lucy, who flinched. 'You're no better.'

'Wyatt-' Lucy began desperately, but he cut over her.

'In a fight like this, you are only as good as the guy next to you, and you both lied to me,' Wyatt said, and he sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. 'I don't trust either of you.'

And with that the mission was over and they returned to 2016 in uncomfortable silence. Wyatt didn't help Lucy with her seatbelts in the Lifeboat, and he didn't stay behind for their briefing. Once they had got changed back into their modern clothes, he simply walked away into the car park, without saying goodbye or even looking back at Lucy and Rufus, who were close behind him. Their team dynamic was strained now, and perhaps permanently damaged by Lucy's and Rufus's decisions to remain silent. If only Lucy had been able to foresee what a tragic mistake that turned out to be.

Lucy thought back longingly to Castle Varlar, where Wyatt had announced in front of everyone that he trusted Lucy, even if he didn't agree with her. He _had_ trusted her. He had even grown to like her, and Rufus, enough to spend time with them outside of work. The three of them had enjoyed a movie night together at Wyatt's apartment last weekend – 'Weapon of Choice' had quickly risen to the top of Wyatt's list of best Bond movies – and they had hoped it would be the first of many. But now all that was gone. It had been destroyed by secrets and deception, and Lucy had no idea what she could do to fix it.

A few days later found Lucy wandering the house and library aimlessly trying to preoccupy herself with research while waiting anxiously for Agent Christopher's inevitable phone call. She hoped she would be needed at Mason Industries soon. She needed to see Wyatt.

By that evening, the anxious waiting got too much for her, so she phoned Wyatt's cell phone for the first time. She nearly hung up after ten or so seconds, presuming he was either unavailable or just refusing to talk to her…but then he eventually accepted the call.

'Look, I'm really not in the mood to talk to you right now, Lucy,' was Wyatt's weary greeting when he answered the phone. 'So whatever fake apology you've got for me, I'm not interested.'

'It's n-not fake, Wyatt, I…' She trailed off hopelessly, clutching her cell phone to her ear as she tried to think of the right words to say. 'I just want to clear the air.'

'Clear the air?' She could picture the way his eyebrows were raised right now.

'Yes! I'm sorry for keeping this thing with Flynn secret from you,' Lucy said sincerely, sinking onto the couch. 'I guess I just didn't want you to see me as someone who…I dunno…was fraternising with the enemy or something! I was confused, I didn't know what to think about what Flynn was saying. I _was_ going to tell you and Rufus about what he had said and the journal, but only once I was sure he was telling the truth. I'm not a bad person, Wyatt.'

'No, you're just a deceitful one,' Wyatt spat, and Lucy closed her eyes. 'Lucy, you told me you trusted me. Remember that? At the Alamo?'

'Of course I remember,' she murmured, 'and I meant it, I still do-'

'So why weren't you honest to me? You shouldn't have kept it from us, end of story! So enough with the excuses,' Wyatt said angrily, and she was glad she couldn't see the rage in his expression. 'We are meant to work as a team and have each other's backs, y'know, tell each other _everything_. And these missions are dangerous, we're putting our lives on the line here, and we can't do our job right if a member of the team – oh, sorry, _two_ members, in this case – is withholding important information that could change this whole assignment!'

'I know, y-you're right,' Lucy said in a small voice. 'I'm sorry.'

Wyatt scoffed. 'You're "sorry", is that all you got?'

'Well I don't know what else to say! If I could go back and change it then I would!' Lucy said earnestly, running a hand agitatedly through her hair.

'Well that's a load of crap. We all know you'd never go back and change something bad in the past. Let's say it was just 'meant to be', huh?' Wyatt said irritably, and Lucy felt her nostrils flare.

'You're not being fair.'

'No, _you're_ the one not being fair, Lucy!' Wyatt snapped. 'It feels like you and Rufus…all the lies, the secrets…you betrayed me!'

Lucy groaned, losing her patience. 'Ugh, stop being so melodramatic, it's not as black and white as all that, and you know it!' she said sharply, and she let out a heavy sigh. 'Look, Wyatt, whatever Flynn said to you in that hotel room, you cannot let it get to you. I don't know him well, but I can tell he's very manipulative, and you _can't_ let him into your head. It'll ruin you, and it'll ruin this team. And then that's means he's won.'

There was a long silence. For a minute Lucy thought he had just abandoned his cell phone somewhere – anything to avoid listening to her persistent voice – when eventually he spoke up.

'I hate it when you're right,' Wyatt mumbled.

Lucy managed a small smile, and took the opportunity to say what she had been bursting to tell him for hours and hours. 'I met my father yesterday.'

'What?'

'Yeah, I did it,' she said, forcing a bright tone. 'I-I knocked on the door.'

'How did it go?' he asked grudgingly.

Lucy laughed softly. 'Could have gone better. I freaked out and left. But I saw him. And that's a start, right?'

'It's a start, yeah.'

His tone annoyed her. He was back to being his old, blunt, disinterested self – the Wyatt that Lucy had first met in the waiting room. Lucy sighed wearily.

'Please tell me it won't always be like this from now on,' she murmured, her hand on her head.

'Like what?' Wyatt said roughly.

'You acting like I killed your dog or something.'

At the other end of the line, Wyatt smiled wryly, though there was sadness in his eyes. He knew he was a petty guy, and that he held grudges for way longer than he ought to. And he could understand where Lucy was coming from, why she had kept this whole issue with Flynn and the mysterious Rittenhouse a secret. But he couldn't help feeling angry, even if he knew it was an overreaction.

Wyatt had not let himself get attached to fellow soldiers in the field for a while but now, for the first time in years, he had formed a bond with these people. He had considered Lucy and Rufus his new team. He had secretly hoped that these missions would keep going on for as long as possible, because, as stressful and dangerous as they were, these time-travelling adventures did have their good moments and they had rapidly become close friends because of them. But now all that was tainted, and he felt completely lost because of it.

'I don't know. I just don't know how I can ever trust you or Rufus again,' Wyatt murmured to her, almost apologetically, and Lucy's lips parted. 'I've gotta go, I'll see you later.'

And with that he hung up, leaving Lucy holding despairingly onto her cell phone with tears in her eyes.


	10. Forgiveness in the Shawnee Tribe

**This chapter covers most of 1x07 (to be continued in the next chapter!)**

* * *

Pennsylvania, September, 1754. Out of all the time periods to end up stranded in, the beginning of the French and Indian War would certainly not have been on the top of Lucy's list. They had already been there for three days, wandering through hostile territory and trying to survive while locating Flynn. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful in working out where Flynn was and what he planned to do, and ended up getting captured by some French officers. While the three of them sat on the mossy ground of the clearing in the forest, bound by ropes, Lucy watched one of the officers, fascinated.

'I think that's Lieutenant Louis Coulon,' she said in an awed voice. 'He's the only man George Washington has ever surrendered to. He-'

'No,' Wyatt interrupted in a very firm snap, and Lucy faltered awkwardly. 'No history. Not right now.'

Lucy fell silent at once, downcast and somewhat angry. Wyatt had continued to be blunt and dismissive towards Lucy and Rufus, making sure to only speak to them when he had to. Lucy had forced herself to accept that it would take Wyatt a while to forgive them, but recently she found herself losing patience; they were starving, dirty and sleep-deprived, having been stuck outdoors this whole time, and the three of them needed each other more than ever…and yet Wyatt still refused to make an effort or even put his grudge temporarily on hold so they could move past their unfortunate fallout and focus on survival. It was infuriating.

The three of them then began to argue and whine about their situation – as was custom nowadays since their relationship as a group had become strained – but eventually Lucy lost it.

'I don't like it either but, Flynn is still out here somewhere, and if we're gonna find him, we're gonna have to work together, okay?' Lucy said sharply.

'Work together? Really?' Wyatt said sceptically, raising his eyebrows at her. ''Cause Rufus is over there-'

'Hey!' Lucy protested, staring at him in outrage, but he was so angry that he didn't care anymore.

'-Recording us for _Rittenhouse_ ,' he finished loudly and spitefully, so that Rufus's audio device couldn't miss it, and he scoffed. 'Yeah, we're really working together, aren't we?'

There was a tense silence. Lucy was so cross with him that she didn't dare open her mouth to begin yet another argument; she wasn't sure what she would end up saying. As they watched the remaining French officer keeping guard over them and messing with Wyatt's gun, Wyatt then leaned over to her.

'How do you say, "I had sex with your mother" in French?' he murmured.

Lucy glared at him. 'You don't, unless you're trying to get us killed right now,' she said shortly.

'I'm trying to do my job,' Wyatt said slowly and firmly, his eyes burning into hers.

Lucy gazed back at him for a minute. He hadn't looked her in the eye properly since the day their trust had been broken, back in Flynn's hideout Washington. She looked over his lips, his tatty, mud-soaked shirt, the collar and top few buttons wide open to show off his broad neck, and his worn, dirty face. Even roughed up a little bit, he still looked devastatingly handsome. There was a sort of sexual tension that hadn't been there before, like these last few days of built-up anger at each other was finally reaching its peak.

Considering him carefully, Lucy's eyes flickered back to Wyatt's lips and then to the distracted guard, before leaning in and whispering the French translation in Wyatt's ear. Wyatt was so impressed that he almost smirked, and then repeated the insult loudly to the French officer.

The subsequent fight between Wyatt and the officer was brief, although terrifying to watch. Once Wyatt had cut Lucy and Rufus free from their ropes, he then set off at a brisk pace so that they could get as far away from their captors as possible. As they marched on, Wyatt tossed Rufus's audio recorder from Rittenhouse into a river. He no longer cared about the consequences. All Wyatt could focus on was the fact that he still couldn't stand to be here with his team members who he felt he could no longer count on. He kept asking himself as they trudged on through the woods why he hadn't just quit outright, but then remembered it was Lucy and Rufus he had to thank for keeping his job in the first place.

While they debated what Flynn could possibly be doing here, the three of them then came to a sudden halt at the sign of Flynn's henchmen gathered around the Lifeboat, parked not very far away amid some trees. They seemed to be fixing various devices onto the capsule.

Lucy frowned in horror. 'Is that-?'

'C4,' Wyatt confirmed: they were connecting explosives all around the ship.

Hidden behind a tree, Wyatt then proceeded to shoot at the henchmen; Lucy grabbed his shoulder anxiously as they shot back, and then one of them aimed their bullet at one of the C4 devices on the Lifeboat. There was a loud explosion, and as Rufus cried out and ran after the henchmen, who were escaping, Lucy stared in despair through the smoke at the large hole that had been burnt on the side panel of the capsule.

'That was our ride!' she heard Rufus yell in a panic to Wyatt. 'The Mothership's our last chance to get back to the 21st century!'

Lucy followed Wyatt and Rufus in what seemed like slow motion; by the time they'd run through into the field and caught up with Flynn's team getting into the Mothership, she knew it was already too late. Wyatt tried shooting desperately at the capsule door to prevent them from leaving, but within seconds the engine had whirred and with a great gust of wind the Mothership had disappeared on the spot. There was a stunned silence as Lucy, Rufus and Wyatt slowly got up to their feet and stared at the place where their ride back home had vanished. Her breathing coming in quick, panicked gasps, Lucy's knees then buckled and she collapsed to the ground.

'We're trapped here,' Lucy panted, her voice shaking.

Bewildered and unable to believe what had just happened, Wyatt turned around to face Lucy and took in her tear-filled eyes, her heavy breaths, her trembling lips, her pale white face. Why was it becoming a weekly occurrence for him to always see this poor innocent woman looking so agonised? Despite how annoyed he still was at her, he hated to see her going through this, and so he walked unsteadily over to her side and crouched down to her level.

'Hey. Lucy. Lucy!' He put a hand on her shoulder and shook her roughly, for she seemed to have gone into some kind of stupor; she blinked and her eyes focussed on him; her pupils dilated. 'This isn't over yet.'

'H-how?' Lucy murmured helplessly. 'They wrecked the Lifeboat, they've taken off with the Mothership…'

'They haven't completely wrecked the Lifeboat. Only one of the C4's went off,' Wyatt reassured her. 'We can patch it up, and head straight back home once it's fixed. Right, Rufus?'

There was a sticky pause. Wyatt slowly inclined his head in Rufus's direction; Rufus was staring back at him as if he had lost his mind.

' _Right, Rufus_?' Wyatt repeated pointedly, glaring at Rufus.

Rufus rolled his eyes. 'Y-yeah, sure,' he replied airily, clasping a hand to his head.

Lucy's lips almost twitched into a smile as Wyatt turned to look back at her. 'I know you're bullshitting me to make me feel better, but I appreciate it,' she said glumly.

Wyatt sighed, not really knowing what to say. 'C'mon, let's get up and head back. See if there's anything we can do,' he said, and he held out his hand; Lucy took it and he pulled her up to her feet, where they stayed stood rather closely in front of each other, looking at each other while they tried to accept their predicament, wondering if this really was it…if they were trapped here for good.

Rufus cleared his throat. They all knew that by 'we', Wyatt meant Rufus. There was nothing Wyatt or Lucy could do now to improve their situation. It was all down to the pilot. So, he led the way back to the Lifeboat and immediately scrambled up to the capsule door to assess the damage. While Rufus groaned and moaned about just how terrible the blast from the C4 really had been for the Lifeboat, Lucy and Wyatt theorised that their trip to 1974 had been an elaborate ruse; Flynn's plan all along had been to trap them here, 300 miles from anywhere, in an era full of hostile forces and smallpox. This troubling fact seemed to bring Wyatt's anger back, and he ended up storming off in a huff to the edge of the clearing.

Leaving Rufus to his work, Lucy tentatively went after Wyatt and found him searching the henchmen whom he had shot dead earlier. He pulled out a few wallets and documents from the dead man's jacket, and Lucy took one of them. Leaning against a tree trunk, she watched Wyatt expectantly, but he refused to look up at her – clearly, his brief moment of kindness before when he'd helped her up to her feet and tried to comfort her had been only out of pity, rather than genuine affection.

Lucy sighed, irritated. 'Ugh, come on,' she said impatiently, and Wyatt stared up at her indignantly. 'You have to talk to me at some point.'

Wyatt shrugged. 'What do you call this?'

'Look, I-I will say it again, and I will keep saying it – I'm sorry for not telling you about the journal,' Lucy said earnestly.

'What about your little deal with Agent Christopher?' Wyatt asked, looking up at her, and Lucy froze, speechless. 'When were you gonna tell me about that?'

Lucy had no answer. She could remember the night she had made that deal. She had been in good spirits enough following her agreement with Agent Christopher, and then Wyatt had invited her for a movie night. He'd said she deserved to be more than just some Bond girl. How times had changed now.

'Yeah, Christopher told me,' Wyatt said heavily. 'So I kill Flynn, she helps you get your sister back. Nothing about me or my wife, but, hey, as long as you get what _you_ need.'

Lucy closed her eyes as she watched him walk away. Now it made perfect sense why he had kept this up for so long, why he had been refusing to talk to her, why he had acted that way over the phone. Lucy couldn't believe Agent Christopher had told him about their deal, not when she'd known he would react in exactly this way. No wonder he hated Lucy now.

'Okay, that is not fair,' Lucy said, following Wyatt. 'It is not a secret that I'm trying to get my sister back.'

Wyatt turned to face her, his face incredulous, almost amused. Lucy's hair was lank and greasy, her face and arms covered in dust, her dress muddy and slightly torn, and she looked exhausted, both emotionally and physically. And yet even now, in all this horror and turmoil and fury and guilt, she was still a vision.

'I mean, _you_ were the one that said, "Figure out what you're fighting for." Well, I am fighting for Amy, and you of all people should understand that,' Lucy said sharply, her voice tremoring again.

Wyatt's cynical smile faded at her words. He'd often thought back to their little bond in the guestroom of Ian Fleming's secret cottage with fondness. He had helped her 'get over the hump', after all, or so Lucy had assured him afterwards. And now she had thrown that back in his face, a conversation in which he had forced himself to open up to her in order to help her, and now he just didn't know how to feel. She made a good point, of course she did. But Wyatt still couldn't see the fairness in any of it, or the reason for why she wouldn't trust him enough to tell him about it.

He began to shake his head and opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Rufus interrupted them with an update on the damaged Lifeboat. There was some serious damage to both the side panel and circuitry; Rufus claimed he would be able to cannibalize the wiring from the navigation system, and possibly be able to patch up the hole with some iron…but in order to replace the necessary capacitors that had been damaged, he would need some foil, tin or copper, salt, some glass jars, a forge, and the skill of a blacksmith. Even if he managed to somehow procure all these materials and successfully fix the Lifeboat, Rufus would also need to use the wiring from the navigation system, which would render him unable to control where they would land. Lucy felt like she almost might faint as Rufus rattled off the endless problems, but then a flicker of hope lit up in his eyes as he explained to them Connor Mason's protocol system.

Rufus read out the instructions from the protocol sheet as Wyatt irritably dug a hole deep in the ground exactly 3 feet from the front of the Lifeboat, in which they placed a jar made of non-biodegradable polyethylene, containing Rufus's message with their location coordinates and instructions for Jiya on how they would be able to help the Lifeboat land from Mason Industries. The idea was that Mason would fly to this spot with a team of archaeologists in the present day and dig the jar up to track their coordinates – though, as Lucy rightly pointed out, this was a risky game considering they had no idea what would happen to this patch of land over 260 years. They wouldn't even know if this bizarre protocol system would work, seeming as it had never been tried before. It was all just one huge risk…but they had to try. They had to.

Trying to be optimistic, Lucy then suggested that they go to Fort Duquesne, the fort 20 miles away where the French soldiers who had captured them last night came from, in order to search for some of the materials that Rufus would need in order to begin the tricky process of trying to fix the time machine.

As they walked, Lucy's imagination began spiralling out of control…what if they couldn't find a way out of 1754? What would they do? She could picture it now in her head…her and Wyatt and Rufus, trying to start up a farm somewhere obscure or settling down in some sweet little village while trying to avoid small pox…maybe Wyatt would eventually forgive Lucy and their dire circumstances would push them closer, perhaps even close enough for Wyatt to see her in a different light, the only woman he really knew left…

Lucy shook her head rapidly. _Stop it. It's never going to happen._

'This is all gonna be downtown Pittsburgh one day. Concrete as far as the eye can see. But for now…it's really beautiful, isn't it?' Lucy said brightly as they walked through the forest in single file.

Rufus rolled his eyes. 'Super beautiful. Just wiped my butt with some leaves,' he said sarcastically

Before Lucy had a chance to scold him, Rufus was distracted by some berries hanging by a bush; he nearly ate one, until Wyatt seized his wrist and stopped him just in time.

'What the hell, man?' Rufus protested. 'You said the red berries are safe to eat.'

'The ones that are solo. When they're a cluster, they will kill you,' Wyatt said furiously. 'I _told_ you that!'

'Well, I'm sorry, that's confusing!' Rufus said, frowning.

'You realize we are in 1754, right?' Wyatt said in a low voice. 'There's no ambulance, there's no antibiotics, there's no tetanus shot-'

'I get it-'

'-You make one mistake, you'll die!' Wyatt snapped.

'I get it! I get that I suck at this!' Rufus shouted. 'I hate the outdoors! And-and camping. And bees. And I really hate this survivalist crap. That's why we have you.'

'Who do _I_ have, Rufus?' Wyatt demanded, rounding on him, and Lucy felt her heart sink as she watched the two of them argue.

Rufus hesitated awkwardly. 'You're Delta Force,' he replied.

'Delta Force isn't a person, it's a team!' Wyatt yelled, and he shook his head in disbelief. 'I'm just one guy. If I don't have someone that I can count on, I mean _really_ count on…we're not gonna make it out of here.'

Wyatt then turned around and gave Lucy a filthy look before marching on past her. Lucy sighed; urging Rufus to follow, she then caught up with Wyatt.

'Wyatt, you have us,' she said softly.

'Do I? Really?' Wyatt said sceptically as he trudged on, without looking at her. 'I can count on you to be honest with me, have my back, tell me the truth, is that right?'

Lucy fell back, lost for words, and she and Rufus walked side by side as they followed Wyatt on through the mud and trees hopelessly. What would it take to make him forgive them?

They waded through the river to avoid the French officers, who were nearby still searching for them, and all seemed almost calm and relaxed…until the Shawnee tribe arrived, their arrows and crossbows aimed directly at the three of them. They had no choice but to go with them, and before they knew it, all three of them had been tied up with ropes (again), this time against some posts inside one of the tribes' tents, where a fire crackled threateningly. When the tribe members had left them to fetch their chief, Wyatt immediately began struggling against the ropes, trying to free himself…but froze when they heard the odd yelling from outside.

'What the hell is that?' Rufus breathed, trying not to sound too scared, as the man continued to cry out outside.

'Battle cries,' Lucy replied in a dazed murmur, and Wyatt slowly turned his head to face her in disbelief. 'It's what they do when they take prisoners. Like us.'

Close to, Wyatt could make out the freckles on her cheeks.

'So do they scalp you after they kill you, or is scalping, like, _how_ they kill you?' Rufus asked, and Lucy frowned at him.

Wyatt turned back to Lucy curiously. 'These are Shawnee?'

'Yeah.'

'And they think we're British?'

'Yeah.'

'And how do the Shawnee feel about the British?' he asked.

'Depends on the tribe, depends on the day, but I think it's safe to say…they're not fans,' Lucy replied heavily.

Wyatt nodded. 'Yeah.'

'So we should take it as a positive sign they haven't tried to kill us yet, right?' Rufus said hopefully.

'I think they're just waiting for their chief,' Lucy admitted hopelessly, and she sighed, trying not to panic. 'Come on, Wyatt, there's got to be…a way to get us out of this, right? You can, just…something.'

Wyatt raised his eyebrows at her. 'Unless one of you can barf up a knife, I think we're gonna be here awhile.'

The three of them exchanged a dark glance and then turned back to the fire that had been made in the centre of the tent, somewhat comforted by the flames. So this was it. This was how they were going to die. Lucy felt so exhausted from the traumatic past few days, not to mention tired from Wyatt's attitude, that in this instant she had already accepted defeat. It was just a matter of waiting for the chief to turn up now.

They waited without speaking to each other, having given up trying to break free from the ropes, but soon enough the tense silence for too much for Rufus.

'You know, if this is really it, you know, like, _really_ it-'

'Don't say that. It's not it,' Lucy interrupted him softly, though not really sure whether she believed what she was saying.

'-Even if we get out of here, there's no telling if we'll actually make it out of 1754,' Rufus pointed out, and Lucy fell silent. 'I can't stop thinking…what I wouldn't give…for one more Chocodile.'

Lucy looked up at Rufus in alarm. 'What?'

Wyatt also looked bemused. 'What the hell is a Chocodile?' Wyatt asked, raising his eyebrows, and he chuckled.

'Twinkie. Covered in chocolate,' Rufus replied, as if it were obvious.

There was a silence as both Lucy and Wyatt looked at each other, unable to stop themselves from smiling. And then they laughed, and with it came a sudden release, a feeling of warmth and relief…they were laughing with each other again. After all that had happened this past week or so…all the tension and snappy arguments…it had taken a Shawnee tribe to tie them up with the promise of a brutal execution that had finally made Wyatt see fit to let go of his anger. And despite the sense of impending doom in the tent, despite knowing what was about to happen…it was blissful just to smile and laugh again together like this.

'Rufus, that is…monumentally stupid,' Wyatt said in amusement, still laughing.

Rufus grinned. 'Well, clearly, you've never had one before.'

'No,' Lucy said, and all three of them continued to laugh.

When the laughter eventually died down, Rufus's face then fell. 'What I wouldn't give to be able to tell Jiya how I feel about her,' he murmured, and Wyatt inclined his head at him, sympathetic.

'How do you feel about her?' Lucy murmured softly.

Rufus hesitated. 'I like her,' he admitted, and the thought made him smile fondly. 'We went on a date once.'

Lucy smiled. 'Really?'

'Yeah. Super awkward. Haven't had the guts to talk to her about it since,' Rufus said sadly. 'I don't know why that, of all things, was so…scary to me, just…talking to someone.'

Lucy leaned back and rested her head against the post; Wyatt watched her carefully, his gaze on her eyes, which reflected the firelight. She knew how Rufus felt. For weeks now – before their fallout, at least – Lucy had kept getting nervous whenever she was in a room alone with Wyatt…even though she knew she had no reason to be, because there was nothing there, and nothing would ever happen even if there was. Wyatt would never consider her in that way, particularly now after what had transpired between them. She couldn't imagine anything happening with anyone ever again, to be honest. She was a woman in her thirties trapped in the middle of a war-torn eighteenth century. Her story was practically over now.

'When I was little…my mother used to read to me these biographies for children,' she murmured, and she smiled over at Wyatt. 'It was like, 'Einstein for Kids', 'Churchill for Kids'…they were really good, actually. I guess I just I always figured that I'd read them to my kids. Just always figured there'd be…time.'

Wyatt's smile had faded. He had never heard Lucy speak about her hopes for her own personal future at all, what with her being so dedicated to her academic career, so he had always assumed that she was the independent kind of person who just wasn't bothered about settling down or starting a family. To find out that she actually was bothered only made their present situation even more devastating.

Wyatt swallowed. 'Yeah, I know what you mean,' he said gently. 'Jessica always wanted a little boy. And I would always say, "Relax. We got all the time in the world."…'

He trailed off, lost in his memories and grief, and as he gazed down at the fire, Lucy found her eyes welling up. Hearing him speak like that about his wife…it made her feel so guilty, for getting a crush on him, for being selfish enough to make a deal with Agent Christopher without mentioning the possibility of getting Jessica back, for being so obsessed with history and facts that she'd never given a second to properly consider the torment Wyatt had undoubtedly been going through ever since he'd found out that time travel was possible.

'Wyatt,' she whispered, shaking her head and closing her eyes. 'I am…I am so sorry that I said that Jessica's death was meant to be-'

'You don't have to-' Wyatt began.

'I do,' Lucy interrupted fiercely, and she gazed sorrowfully into his eyes. 'You deserve to get Jessica back.'

Wyatt considered her for a moment. 'Well, I wish you could get Amy back too,' he said softly. 'And if I could make a deal with Agent Christopher…I would.'

They looked at each other, and nodded in reassurance, Lucy's eyes still rather watery. Whatever bad blood there had been between them, it was over now. They had finally moved past it. And Lucy could only hope that they would come out of this with a stronger bond because of it.

'Yeah, well,' Rufus said, and Wyatt looked up in surprise; he had almost forgotten that Rufus was still there, 'what's the point of having a time machine if you can't fix your regrets?'

'Yep,' Wyatt said, slightly bitterly.

The chief of the Shawnee tribe then arrived; it turned out to be a woman, who spoke very good English, by the name of Chieftainess Nonhelema. Lucy had heard of her before, and was momentarily awestruck…until Nonhelema ordered Lucy and Wyatt to be executed. It took Rufus's incredible power of persuasion to convince Nonhelema to remove the knives placed threateningly against Lucy and Wyatt's throats:

'We're not who we said we were. We're not from France. We're not British; we're not from anywhere around here. But these people didn't force me to be with them – these people are my friends. They've saved my life on more than one occasion. We look out for each other,' Rufus said to Nonhelema earnestly. 'Thing is, we're not even supposed to be here…we just want to go home. Now, you can kill them, and I'm pretty sure there is nothing I can do about it, but if you do you're gonna have to kill me too.'

Wyatt knew then in that moment, as the tribe cut him and Lucy free from the posts, that he would do anything for these two people. Yes, they may have withheld some information from him, but only out of fear or consideration for his feelings. And Rufus had risked sacrificing his life for theirs. And Wyatt had seen the look on Lucy's face after he had spoken of Jessica's wish to have a son; he knew she felt bad, that she cared deeply for him.

And so, as they found appropriate disguises and made their way to Fort Duquesne, Wyatt made more of an effort with Lucy and Rufus to make up for his petty, rude behaviour over the past few days. They entered the fort with somewhat ease: with Lucy speaking to the soldiers in French, Wyatt and Lucy stalled and acted as injured civilians while their 'servant', Rufus, searched the fort for supplies for the Lifeboat. It was only when the camp surgeon offered to tend Wyatt's 'injury' by rectally inserting mercury to remove Wyatt's blood that they were forced to deviate from their original plan. Wyatt hit the surgeon unconscious and grabbed Lucy's arm urgently, guiding her out of the tent so they could find Rufus…only it turned out that the French soldiers from last night had found them as well.

Wyatt helped carry Lucy over the high fence that bordered the fort as they escaped, and then once the three of them were safely back on ground, they ran as fast as they could back to the forest. Once back at the Lifeboat, Lucy kept a lookout for the French officers who were undoubtedly following their tracks, while Wyatt and Rufus set to work on fixing up the Lifeboat as quickly as they could.

'Oh, come on,' Wyatt said sceptically as he watched what Rufus was doing with the bottles and foil. 'That can't actually work.'

'It should work enough for one trip,' Rufus said airily. 'Except, we won't know until the rings start spinning…but, by then, it'll be too late to change our minds.'

'What do you mean, "change our minds"?' Lucy asked, frightened.

Rufus glanced awkwardly to Lucy and Wyatt. 'Without the navigation system, we could land anywhere. The Earth is 70% water,' he explained helplessly, and Wyatt froze and looked up at Lucy. 'We could land in the middle of the ocean, on a mountain, inside of a mountain…'

Lucy felt as if she were about to have a heart attack just at the mere mention of the word 'water', and she turned despairingly to Wyatt. He gazed back at her, already knowing what she was thinking. He could still hear her words from Fleming's guestroom…

' _Every time I get in that time machine…I feel like I am back in that car, like I am drowning all over again…'_

'The middle of Fallujah would be an amazing result right now,' Rufus went on briskly, clearly frustrated. 'Needless to say, it is _very_ complicated, and we need Jiya and Mason to help us land. That is, provided they got my note.'

Wyatt glanced back at Lucy, who had turned away to hide her face as a tear fell, and then frowned at Rufus. 'Let's say they didn't. What are the odds?'

'Err…somewhere between one in a billion and impossible,' Rufus replied, and Wyatt and Lucy exchanged another look of anguish.

Rufus then explained that Jiya and the rest of the team at Mason Industries would need to catch the Lifeboat mid-jump, take over the controls, and guide it back to their location in the present day – similar to what the Death Star did to the Millennium Falcon in 'Star Wars'. It sounded near impossible.

'So what are our options? We stay here and fight off the French or die of smallpox eventually?' Lucy asked.

'Pretty much,' Rufus admitted.

'Likely death either way,' Wyatt said slowly, and Rufus nodded. 'What the hell? I'm in.'

Lucy looked up at him to see that his eyes were already on her, and she knew then that she was with him, whatever his decision. 'Me too,' she murmured, and she managed a small smile; Wyatt nodded and smiled back.

'Tough call for me. I was really hoping to be sold into slavery,' Rufus said sarcastically; Lucy and Wyatt barely had time to laugh softly in response before the sound of galloping horses reached their ears.

The French soldiers were here.

Taking Lucy's hand, Wyatt helped her up into the capsule and the three of them managed to slide the door shut just as the officers reached the Lifeboat. The officers instantly began firing; Lucy flinched as each bullet hit the side of the capsule, and Wyatt hurriedly buckled her up into her seat, placing his hand briefly over hers to stop her from shaking.

'Hurry up,' Lucy said agitatedly to Rufus.

'Here we go,' Rufus announced, as the engine began to whirr, and Lucy sighed in relief, trying to smile reassuringly at Wyatt as they held desperately onto their seatbelts straps.

But then the engine groaned and after a few seconds, the electricity powered down. Lucy's heart had never beat so fast. Something was wrong.

'Go where? We're not going anywhere!' Lucy said, panicked, trying to ignore the sound of the bullets ricocheting and French soldiers yelling.

'No!' Rufus muttered, jumping up from his seat and rushing over to the corner to try and fix one of the wires. 'No, no, no…'

'Rufus, come _on_!' Lucy urged anxiously, and her wide eyes turned to Wyatt to see that he, too, was terrified.

'This patch is not as strong as the rest of the ship,' Wyatt said ominously, trying to keep his voice steady. 'If they hit it-'

'YOU'RE NOT HELPING!' Rufus roared at him angrily, as he sat back down in the pilots' seat.

'Come on, Rufus,' Lucy said pleadingly. 'Get us out of here!'

She scrunched up her eyes tightly shut as Rufus tried switching on the control panels again, but this time when the engine came alive it did not fade away and judder to a halt. Instead the familiar sound of metal clanking and rumbling began to deafen her ears…it was working. It hit Lucy then that actually she shouldn't be scared of the soldiers firing at them outside, but of the unknown destination they would soon be thrown into. She looked up to see that Wyatt was staring at her, for she was the only comfort he could find in this moment of horror, and he was breathing heavily while the ship shook them violently in their seats. They had never been so petrified about travelling in this vessel before.

And then they were in transit, flying helplessly through the temporal zone while praying that Jiya back at Mason Industries would be able to catch them in time. As the Lifeboat juddered aggressively, Wyatt looked at Lucy's tear-streaked face and he reached out and held her hand. She squeezed it back, with a hint of a smile, and reached out to hold Rufus with her other hand. The three of them were in this together now, at last a proper team once again. And yes, this was Lucy's nightmare, only she was somehow living it in reality, fully expecting the ship to begin filling up with water any second were they to land in the middle of the sea. Their fate was entirely out of their control now and there was nothing they could do and they were more likely to perish right here right now in this very ship than survive…but they had each other. And Wyatt was holding Lucy's hand like his life depended on it, because all was forgiven and all he could focus on right now to stop him from yelling out was her. Whatever was about to happen…at least they were in it together.


	11. The Fiancé

**This chapter continues the last part of 1x07, and covers 1x08 (briefly) and the beginning of 1x09 :)**

* * *

Wyatt stumbled out first as the hatch slid open.

'Sorry we're late,' he grunted, as Connor Mason and Agent Christopher rushed forwards with their arms outstretched to help him. 'We hit some traffic.'

'You okay?' Agent Christopher asked, concerned, as he moaned in pain.

'Yeah,' Wyatt replied distractedly, turning back to watch Lucy climb unsteadily out of the capsule; she groaned loudly, and Wyatt held out his hand to help her out.

'You all right?' Mason asked her.

'We made it!' Lucy said delightedly, hardly daring to believe it as she looked around in relief at the familiar operations room of Mason Industries.

As Agent Christopher and Mason saw to Rufus, Lucy wandered over to Wyatt, who was grinning like an idiot. He'd never thought they would be back here.

'We didn't land in the ocean,' he said playfully to her.

'We didn't. We're alive!' Lucy said triumphantly, and she almost went over to hug him before remembering that she hadn't washed in four days.

Her eyes then fell upon Jiya, who was gazing over at Rufus from her desk with so much more than just relief on her face…it was as if her whole world had just come flooding back to her, as if she had just realised her purpose. It made Lucy feel like she was intruding on something private; she turned back to Wyatt, and from his wiggle of his eyebrows, she gathered that he had noticed too.

They discussed this new development in their colleagues' relationship later on that evening, when Lucy and Wyatt called in at a local store together. They had agreed to meet Rufus for a drink at a nearby bar – they needed it, after all they had been through recently – and Lucy had suggested eagerly to Wyatt that they try and find some chocolate-covered twinkies (or, 'Chocodiles') for Rufus to feast on, as a thank-you gift for his bravery defending them to the Shawnee tribe.

'I don't know why they're not doing anything about it,' Lucy was saying as she put the box of Chocodiles in their basket and walked back down the aisle towards the self-service checkout desk. 'I mean, they clearly both like each other so…'

'Well maybe the right moment hasn't come up yet, or…I dunno, maybe the other one doesn't feel ready for a relationship?' Wyatt suggested, as they scanned the twinkie box. 'You know, if they work together, it…it complicates things, it makes it a little awkward if things end up going wrong…and they could get hurt.'

Lucy looked up at him from the self-checkout, surprised that he would have thought about that side of matters in such detail. 'What relationship isn't without a risk?' she pointed out, shrugging. 'Surely it's worth it if you're attracted to each other?'

For some reason, Wyatt's cheeks coloured. 'Well, maybe, I…I guess we don't know Rufus and Jiya's situation that well though, do we?' he said awkwardly, as they walked away with Rufus's present.

'N-no, I guess not.' Lucy didn't want to admit that she'd almost forgotten that they had been originally talking about Rufus and Jiya.

'And what about you?' Wyatt asked curiously, as they walked out into the parking lot. 'We've spent the past few months in each other's company and you've never once mentioned a past relationship. I mean, I know you have the fiancé who turned up from nowhere but-'

'Relationships aren't really my thing,' Lucy interrupted firmly, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Wyatt raised an eyebrow at her. 'They aren't your "thing"?'

'Yeah, I mean…c'mon, I'm an academic, I'm all about my work, not my personal life. I've never really been bothered about, err…' But Lucy cut herself short, and sighed heavily. 'No, that's not true, I just, uh…I've never really been particularly…lucky on that score. Men don't seem to want to…stick around with me for that long. Some pretty blonde normally ends up distracting them and they…they break my heart. It's just not worth it.'

Wyatt's lips parted as he looked at her, and he could hardly believe that any man in their right mind would betray Lucy Preston or break her heart, but it was all there in her face. She had been hurt before.

'Sometimes it is. If it's the right person,' Wyatt said brightly, as they got into his car. 'Like you just said, what relationship isn't without a little risk?'

'Thinking about taking your own advice, Wyatt?' Lucy asked teasingly, raising her eyebrows at him as she fastened her seatbelt in the passenger seat.

For one mad moment he thought she was hinting at something, but then he quickly recovered himself and rolled his eyes. 'I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm done with all that,' he said patiently, as he started the cars' engine. 'After Jess, I…I can't imagine ever wanting to…well, it's messy, isn't it? Just, relationships in general.'

Lucy frowned. 'So you can't really criticise me for saying the same thing.'

'No, I suppose we're both kinda hypocrites, aren't we? Poor Rufus and Jiya having us as matchmakers,' Wyatt said as they drove out of the parking lot, and they both laughed, but then Wyatt's smile faded as he took his eyes off the road for a second to glance at her. 'Hey. Those guys you said who didn't stick around or…got distracted? They were idiots.'

Lucy turned to face him, his eyes suddenly very focussed on the road ahead and the steering wheel, and she smiled. 'I know.'

'Good. Good,' Wyatt said softly, nodding, and when they came to a halt at some traffic lights, he turned to gaze at her, and they shared a smile.

Rufus had already got them a table at a booth and a drink for himself when they arrived shortly at the bar. Lucy put her handbag down on one of the booth sofas, and was about to get up to order a glass of wine when Wyatt tapped her on the shoulder, his wallet in his hand.

'Can I get you a drink?' he asked.

'Oh no, it's okay, I'll get mine-'

Wyatt rolled his eyes. 'You like white wine, right?'

'Wyatt-'

'Please, Lucy,' he insisted, and he smiled at her. 'I wanna buy you a drink.'

Lucy pursed her lips at him and eventually nodded. 'If you're trying to make up for avoiding me and all your moping around, then it's working,' she said, and Wyatt smirked back at her.

'Glad to hear it,' he said, laughing, and he walked over to the bar.

Lucy couldn't stop smiling as she removed her coat. It was only when she'd stopped blushing that she looked up and realised that Rufus had been watching her the whole time.

'I saw that,' he said, indicating Wyatt stood not far from them at the bar.

'Saw what?' Lucy asked innocently, frowning.

But Rufus just rolled his eyes. 'O-kay.'

By the time Wyatt returned with their drinks and had sat opposite Lucy, Rufus had already researched the events of Pennsylvania, 1754 on his cell phone and brought up a Wikipedia article.

'Here it is – "The Pennsylvania Orb Incident",' Rufus was saying, and Lucy smiled across the table at Wyatt, shaking her head in disbelief, as Rufus read out some of the article. '"In September of 1754, a group of French soldiers claimed to have seen a giant metal orb with spinning rings that disappeared before their eyes. One of the earliest UFO sightings in colonial North America."'

Lucy had covered her face with her hands, amused and still dazed by the events of the past four days. 'What?!'

'All right,' Wyatt said, chuckling as Lucy put her hands down on the table and burst out laughing at how bizarre it all was.

'We did it?' Rufus murmured, staring at his phone.

'That's us,' Wyatt said, laughing, and he raised his glass. 'Well…cheers to the French.'

The three of them clinked their glasses and took a sip of their drinks, and Rufus didn't miss the gaze that passed between Lucy and Wyatt as they did so, or the way they smiled at each other. He had never seen Wyatt's face filled with such warmth, or Lucy's eyes filled with such tenderness and longing as she watched Wyatt take another swig of his beer.

'After this, I'm gonna eat my body weight in Chocodiles,' Rufus said, chuckling, and Wyatt raised his eyebrows at Lucy.

'About that,' Lucy said, and she pulled out the box of chocolate-covered twinkies from her handbag.

'No!' Rufus said in delight, amazed, as Wyatt chuckled.

'They're all yours,' Lucy said, beaming away, and she passed the box over.

Rufus clung to the box, touched. 'Thank you,' he said quietly.

'I wasn't sure if we were ever gonna see any of this again,' Lucy admitted, much more relaxed and laidback now than Wyatt had ever seen her before.

'Yeah,' Wyatt said heavily. 'We got lucky.'

Lucy shrugged and leant back in her chair. 'You know, if you believe there is such a thing as luck.'

Rufus frowned, confused, and looked back and forth between Lucy and Wyatt, who were simply gazing at each other across the table. He was infuriated; had he missed something? Had something happened between the two of them without him being there to see it finally happen?

'What's wrong?' Wyatt asked her softly.

Lucy sighed. 'I know you were angry with me for not telling you about the journal, but you never asked me _why_ I didn't tell you about it.'

'Doesn't matter. It's water under the bridge. It's a cheap fake, right?' Wyatt said comfortingly, drinking more of his beer.

Lucy hesitated. 'That's the thing…' she murmured, and Wyatt's smile slowly faded. 'If I'm being really honest with myself…I don't know if it is.'

Wyatt frowned briefly, and sat up straight. All Rufus could do was watch the two of them and the way they looked at each other; it had suddenly becoming a fascinating form of entertainment. It was as if they were in their own little bubble, as if Rufus wasn't even there, and, strangely, he didn't even mind it. He was curious to see where this could lead.

'It's just too crazy,' Lucy went on. 'I mean, the mix of cursive and print, the way that I make my G's. Wyatt, it looks so real, and I've thought so since the Hindenburg, and if that's what I'm meant to be…helping Flynn-?'

'That's not what you're meant to be,' Wyatt interrupted firmly. 'If you don't want to write a journal, don't write it.'

Lucy stared at him. He just didn't understand. It wasn't as simple as that.

'My whole life, I have believed that…everything happens for a reason. That, for all of us, there is…some plan for each one of us that comes from some…' Lucy trailed off, almost embarrassed.

'A higher power?' Wyatt finished for her, and he smiled, fascinated. 'Never took you for the spiritual type.'

Lucy smiled. 'Well, I am. And what does the "spiritual type" look like exactly?' she asked playfully.

Wyatt chuckled. 'I don't know,' he replied, and there was no mistaking the smouldering look in his eyes, or the sly, playful smile…

Rufus's eyes widened. _Holy shit, they're flirting._

'The thing is, is, if this is my job now…protecting history, preserving the past, you know, saving the things that are meant to be…how can I believe in fate and not believe in my own fate?' Lucy asked.

Wyatt frowned, thinking hard on how best to get Lucy through this existential crisis. He was saddened to know that Lucy had been carrying the weight of the world on shoulders on her own for so many weeks, and experiencing this inner turmoil about her predestined future. She must have felt so alone. Believing in fate could be a heavy burden if she also assumed it couldn't be changed.

'Help me out here, Rufus,' Wyatt said, suddenly remembering their other team member sat at the end of the table, watching them with a knowing smile.

'Don't look at me. My degrees are in physics, not metaphysics,' Rufus said helplessly. 'Look, we are in uncharted water here.'

Wyatt sighed and considered Lucy for a moment. 'Have a drink,' he told her, and Lucy looked up at him; he was stunned by just how long her eyelashes were, and he smiled slyly. 'Humor me.'

'Okay,' Lucy said exasperatedly, and, with an amused smile, she raised her glass to her lips and sipped her wine, extremely self-conscious of how Wyatt was watching her, with those eyes and that damn smile.

Wyatt nodded as she put her glass back down on the table. 'Okay. Now, did you…decide to take that drink, or was it pre-written? Some kind of history that says you were meant to take that drink?' he asked.

Lucy simply looked at him, and all she could do was smile at his wisdom. Rufus was internally screaming at the expressions on their faces; their eyes were only for each other.

'You made the choice, Lucy. And that's what history is. Right? It's choices. Some small, stupid, some monumental. But we make them,' Wyatt pointed out, and Lucy felt herself tingling at his words. 'So, if you're not happy with the history that Flynn has predicted for you…then rewrite it.'

They didn't stay at the bar for much longer after that – they were all too tired for more than one drink – and Wyatt insisted on giving Lucy a lift back home, saying sharply that he refused to let her walk home on her own in the dark. Lucy was touched; she had almost forgotten, following their brief fallout, just how protective Wyatt could be.

'Well, thanks for the ride,' she said softly once they had pulled up outside her mother's house.

Wyatt smiled at her. 'Anytime. Hey, before you go in, I just wanted to say…I'm sorry for being a jackass since Washington,' he said heavily. 'And…if you're ever having a bit of a freak-out over the whole journal-Flynn-future-you thing…well, you have my number. You shouldn't suffer on your own. I'm always here if you need someone to talk to, Rufus as well.'

'Thank you, Wyatt. Really,' Lucy said gently, and she smiled awkwardly; he'd shown her tonight just how much faith he had in her, and it made her nervous. 'I'd invite you in for a coffee, but um…not sure how my mom would react to me bringing a guy home that isn't my fiancé.'

Wyatt chuckled. 'Ahh, very wise. How's your Noah doing anyway?' he asked casually.

'Not sure. But…I'm actually thinking of inviting him round for dinner or something. Y'know, night in with the fiancé,' Lucy said, watching him carefully for his reaction, and Wyatt looked at her incredulously. 'I can't keep putting it off, I mean, I've got to get to know the guy I'm marrying at some point, right?'

'You mean…wait, you're still going to go ahead with it?' Wyatt asked cynically. 'When you don't even know him?'

'No, I'm not saying that, I'm just…I can't just break it off like that with no good reason. He seems like a nice guy, and…well, I've got to give him some sort of chance,' Lucy said helplessly, and she opened the passenger door. 'Anyway, I won't keep you. Goodnight, Wyatt.'

Wyatt was still frowning, not knowing what he thought about her proposed upcoming plans with Noah. ''Night,' he murmured.

She stepped out onto the pavement, but then leaned back in before she closed the door. 'Wyatt,' she said quietly. 'I'm glad we're okay.'

Wyatt looked at her and a devastatingly handsome smile appeared on his face. 'Me too,' he said, and he meant it.

He watched her walk up to the door and made sure she was safely inside the house before driving off. Wyatt didn't know why he was being so nervy about Lucy being by herself, but this Rittenhouse organisation, and everything Rufus had told them about it, was starting to scare him. Whoever they were, they weren't good, that was for sure. And they certainly weren't going to be leaving him, Lucy or Rufus alone anytime soon.

* * *

Since Lucy and Wyatt had started working for Mason Industries – or rather, Homeland Security – the weeks had turned into months without them really registering it, and still their hopeless, life-threatening missions continued, taking them all over America to events and places and people that Lucy had only ever read or dreamed about. When they weren't somewhere in the past or the Lifeboat, they spent their weekdays at Mason Industries researching whatever they could about Rittenhouse in secret while also forming plans for how best to work out Flynn's next moves and determine how exactly they could stop him. Naturally, the three members of the team became closer than ever as they worked fiercely together, and began a weekly tradition of grabbing a drink or watching a movie.

As time went on, Lucy and Wyatt's relationship became established as very much that of a love-hate one. One minute they'd be bickering and having tense arguments, and then the next they'd be holding each other's hand to make sure that the other one was all right. There was a definite bond there, and, although Lucy and Wyatt continuously tried to deny it to themselves, possibly something more. Nevertheless, even after getting to know each other better and after everything they had been through, Wyatt still found it hard to talk openly to Lucy, about his past and personal life and…well, most things, really.

This changed slightly one night, however, after they had returned from a Lifeboat mission in which the Apollo 11 mission of 1969 had nearly been a complete failure, due to a virus Anthony had inserted into the mainframe on Flynn's orders, only to be saved by the unknown mathematician, Katherine Johnson. While chaos had ensued at the Manned Spacecraft Center, Flynn had instead spent his day befriending a secretary called Maria Thompkins, and Wyatt had witnessed Flynn injecting her son Gabriel with a shot of epinephrine to counter an anaphylactic reaction. Once back in the present day, during their briefing meeting, Agent Christopher revealed to the team the contents of Flynn's secret file, which stated that Maria was in fact Flynn's mother and Gabriel was his half-brother. Gabriel was meant to have died that day in 1969 but Flynn had saved his life...and subsequently Lucy and Wyatt were both confused and outraged.

'I don't get it,' Lucy said wearily, and she looked at Wyatt. 'All you and I want to do is go back and save the people that we love, and Flynn, he just does it without hesitation. So _why_ aren't we doing the same thing?'

'Because stopping Flynn is still our top priority,' Agent Christopher said calmly.

'But I gave you my terms,' Lucy protested.

'Lucy. I know we have a deal,' Agent Christopher said, and Wyatt's eyes fell to his feet. 'The second Flynn is out of the picture, we will find a way to get you your sister back.'

Lucy shook her head slowly, still struggling to process how Flynn had been able to get away with this. 'And…and Jessica? What about Jessica?' she demanded, and Wyatt looked at her, touched.

'Lucy, it's okay-'

'No, it's not,' Lucy interrupted him fiercely; as much as it pained her to imagine Wyatt with another woman, she knew just how broken he had been by her death, how desperate he was to get her back…and she wanted him to be happy. 'This is Wyatt's wife we're talking about, okay? The woman he loves!'

For one bizarre second, Wyatt nearly felt the urge to correct her and say: ' _Loved_ ', but he stopped himself just in time. Admitting aloud to himself that Jessica was something he could speak about in the past tense now would destroy him, and he couldn't let Lucy see him like that.

'You've changed your tune, you already know they are completely different circumstances,' Agent Christopher said sharply to Lucy, her eyebrows raised. 'Your sister was erased from existence only after these Lifeboat missions started, when the Hindenburg event was changed. That's on us, that's something that's not your fault and wasn't meant to happen – the timeline was altered, and we need to restore it so that your sister is indeed born. But Jessica Logan was killed years before the Lifeboat was invented, and her death was not a consequence of any of these missions. It is completely irrelevant.'

'"Irrelevant"?!' Lucy repeated incredulously, offended and leaping to her feet as she glanced at Wyatt's pained face. 'How can you say that-?'

'Lucy, calm down, it's no use. I've already tried,' Wyatt said wearily, and she looked at him pitifully. 'What, you think I haven't had my own private meetings with Christopher and Mason as well, tried to make my own deal? It's a no-go. It's never gonna happen. Jessica's been dead for a long time. And that's never gonna change.'

Casting Agent Christopher an irritated look, Wyatt then walked out of the office. Lucy immediately grabbed her purse and rushed off after him without a backwards glance at Agent Christopher. He was trudging along the corridor with his head down; Lucy caught up with him.

'Wyatt…' she began tentatively.

'Yeah.'

'I hope you don't mind, but can I ask…-?'

'Go ahead,' Wyatt said in a reassuring tone, not really looking up from the floor.

Lucy took a deep breath. 'About Jessica…was she murdered?'

Wyatt stopped walking.

Lucy had always wondered how Jessica had died, but had never been brave enough to bring up the subject with Wyatt. She had assumed it had been an illness or accident or something, but the way Agent Christopher had said, 'Jessica Logan was killed' back in the office had troubled her deeply. Wyatt tilted his head at her, but to her surprise, he didn't seem angry.

'Yes,' he replied. His voice was steady.

Lucy felt her heart sink, and she wished she could wrap his arms around him comfortingly but knew that would only make it worse…they would never be close enough to do that.

'I'm so sorry,' she whispered. 'My God, Wyatt, I can't even imagine…did they catch who did it?'

'No. They did not,' Wyatt said in a low voice. 'And it was my fault, I left her, I…if I'd just been there with her, it never would have happened.'

Lucy frowned and shook her head earnestly at him. 'You can't blame yourself for what some monster did to your wife.'

'Oh but I can, and I do,' Wyatt said, and this time his voice shook. 'Because I _am_ to blame. Even you wouldn't deny that if you knew the facts.'

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry,' Lucy murmured, feeling guilty. 'I just…you never talk about her, well, about _anything_ , really, and…well I'm here. If you want. To talk, you know.'

'I know,' Wyatt said, smiling sadly. 'Thanks.'

From then on, as time continued to pass, there was no more mention of Jessica. In fact, as the weeks went on, Wyatt slowly began to act more like a free man rather than a guilt-ridden widow. It made a refreshing change, although Lucy was still cautious to not let herself get too attached or hopeful. She tried to help this by focussing her attention on the lovely Noah instead – her smart, attractive fiancé who was clearly devoted to her…but this proved more difficult than she had anticipated. When she asked Noah round for a meal one night and they ate together, Lucy found it unbearably awkward. She didn't know him, and was pretending to be his lover of God knows how many years…it was just too much for her. It therefore came as a strange relief to get a call from Agent Christopher saying that Flynn had taken out the Mothership again.

They were quickly briefed in the meeting room as usual – Flynn had gone to Arkansas on May the 22nd, 1934, and Agent Christopher suspected from evidence they had collected that Flynn was planning to go to a certain bank to find a necklace that was supposedly a 'Rittenhouse key', so it was vital they get to this bank first.

As they began to search for appropriate outfits for their mission in the wardrobe dock, Wyatt looked over Lucy; she seemed particularly agitated this evening. He wondered why she was still wearing that meaningless glittering stone on her finger. Perhaps to fend off any other unwanted advances from her endless line of bachelors in the past? Or maybe even to maintain some boundaries between the two of them on their work missions? After all, he had been rather flirty towards her over the past few weeks…

He chuckled without thinking, and Lucy turned away from the shapeless dress she had been admiring to frown curiously at him.

'What?'

'Still wearing the engagement ring of a guy you don't know?' Wyatt asked casually, looking over at potential shirts on the rail.

'Oh, yeah,' Lucy said, sighing, as she put the dress back. 'We had a date tonight.'

Wyatt turned to face her, his eyebrows raised. 'A date?' he said, surprised, and he hoped she couldn't see just how infuriated this news made him.

'First date for me, four-hundredth for him…it was a disaster,' she said heavily, holding up a dark blue dress she had found for Wyatt to inspect.

'I bet,' Wyatt murmured, trying not to sound too amused.

He gave the dress one look and shook his head dismissively; he knew she could do better than that. Rolling her eyes, Lucy put the dress back. The last thing she needed was fashion advice from Wyatt, and yet for some reason he'd become rather keen on helping them all pick the best outfits they could for their missions recently.

'Just cut the poor bastard loose already,' Wyatt said, looking through the suit trousers. 'Let him be with someone he's meant to be with.'

'What if _I'm_ whoever he's supposed to be with?' Lucy asked.

Wyatt slowly looked around at her, horrified, his face unusually blank. He didn't know this Noah guy, and he knew he had no right to not want Lucy in a relationship with someone, but still. It was ridiculous – and, quite frankly, insulting – that Lucy believed she could perhaps be destined to be with some man she didn't know. Maybe Wyatt had read the signs wrong after all; maybe the fact Lucy was even considering Noah meant that she wasn't remotely interested in Wyatt in that way. Not that he was bothered, of course.

'You can't be serious,' Wyatt said in a monotone voice, forcing himself to smile.

'Think about it,' Lucy went on earnestly. 'In this alternate reality…we were engaged. I was…in love?'

The last sentence struck a chord with Wyatt that he had not expected, and the thought of it made his nostrils flare. 'Do you feel that way about him in the here and now?' he asked sharply, sceptical.

Lucy considered him for a moment, thinking hard. She wished she could feel that way, or even imagine a possibility of her developing those feelings for Noah. But she wasn't an idiot. She knew the only man right now who consumed her mind and who she could imagine falling hopelessly in love with was standing right in front of her.

She turned away, annoyed. 'No,' she muttered.

Although somewhat relieved by her answer, Wyatt still couldn't relax, and he watched her walk away incredulously before following her to a different clothing rail, agitated. He just couldn't let this go.

'Lucy, you're supposed to have your _sister_ ,' he said urgently.

'Believe me, I know that,' Lucy said irritably, glancing at him before trying to focus once more on the 1930s dresses she was searching through.

'Then you should know you're not supposed to be engaged,' Wyatt said, trying to make her see sense, and Lucy sighed. 'I mean, hell, you shouldn't have even met this Noah guy.'

'I know, but-'

'So you should let him be with who _he_ is meant to be with,' Wyatt interrupted.

Lucy looked at him for a moment, and realised that he was right, of course. But then she frowned; she couldn't help wondering why Wyatt was so insistent on this, when he had never really expressed so much interest in Lucy's fiancé before.

'I thought you never believed in 'meant to be',' she said, her lips twitching.

'I-I don't, I just…' Wyatt trailed off, mortified as he felt his cheeks flush, and he laughed awkwardly. 'You should only be with a guy if you have feelings for him. It's not fair on either of you to live in a lie.'

Lucy gazed at him, and saw something new in his eyes that she had never seen before as he gazed right back at her. Only just registering their close proximity, she opened her mouth to say something…only for Agent Christopher to come marching into the wardrobe dock with an impatient look.

'While we're young, people!' she snapped. 'I need you in the Lifeboat.'

Lucy looked away from Wyatt immediately, blushing. 'I still don't know what to wear…'

Wyatt glanced at the rail they were stood beside and quickly picked out a pretty salmon pink dress. 'This one,' he said, and Lucy raised her eyebrows at him; he smirked. 'It'll look good on you, trust me.'

It was only as Wyatt began to get changed into his suit that it came to him that perhaps there was a good reason for why he was so against the idea of Lucy giving her relationship with Noah a proper go. He was jealous. _Again_. And it worried him…he had never felt this strongly about another man interfering before, not since…no, he couldn't think about that. Not now.

When Lucy emerged from the wardrobe dock, Wyatt's eyes widened as he looked over her elegant pink dress, her curled hair, her red lips, her nervous eyes, her stylish hat. He felt his pulse quicken.

Lucy raised her eyebrows at him, smiling. 'Well? What d'you think?' she asked, and Wyatt grinned at her.

'You look great,' he replied; it was a huge understatement, but it seemed to please Lucy nonetheless, for she smiled in a humble, embarrassed sort of way before complimenting him on his own dashing attire.

And so together Lucy and Wyatt walked ahead to join Rufus waiting for them in the Lifeboat, both in blissful ignorance of how this imminent mission would change the course of their relationship…forever.


	12. You Never Heard of Lucy & Wyatt?

**This chapter continues 1x09 (to be concluded in the next chapter) :)**

* * *

It was a cloudy day as they drove up to the Mcllroy Bank & Trust and parked up on the side of the road. The team watched for a minute as 1930s civilians went about their daily routines. Even after so many trips out, it still amazed Lucy simply to see ordinary life of the past right before her very eyes.

Lucy sighed heavily from the passenger seat. 'We've stolen, what, half a dozen cars on these trips? We're like hardened car thieves by now.'

'Hey, if they don't want us to borrow 'em, they shouldn't leave the keys in 'em,' Wyatt pointed out, turning around in the drivers' seat to grin at Lucy.

'Oh,' Lucy said slowly, amused, and then Wyatt gestured with a click of his tongue for Rufus to turn off the audio recorder.

'Recorder's off,' Rufus confirmed from the back seat.

'We should tell Agent Christopher what we know about Rittenhouse,' Wyatt said, turning to Lucy for confirmation, and she nodded in agreement.

The two of them had in fact discussed this possibility about a week ago. They felt that they could trust Agent Christopher more than anyone else in Mason Industries.

'Or…not at all. No,' Rufus protested, panicked.

'She's piecing it together, Rufus. It's only a matter of time,' Lucy said gently.

'Then let her figure it out on her own,' Rufus said, and Lucy sighed. 'Or we stall her.'

'Look, I don't know what's worse – Flynn or Rittenhouse,' Wyatt said patiently, 'but if it's Rittenhouse, we're gonna need all the help we can get. Someone we can trust.'

Rufus hesitated, looking deep in thought. 'I trust Jiya,' he said hopefully.

'Yeah, I bet you do,' Wyatt said playfully, and he smirked at the incredulous look on Rufus's face. 'I got eyes, you sly dog.'

Lucy's eyes widened excitedly as she took in Rufus's embarrassed expression. 'Are you and Jiya happening? Is it happening?' she said eagerly, and she slapped Wyatt's arm triumphantly. 'Told you it was gonna happen.'

'Okay, can we just concentrate on the mission?' Rufus said, mortified, as Lucy and Wyatt continued to grin. 'Please? You guys check out the bank. Okay? I'll keep watch out here.'

Lucy smirked in a self-satisfied way. 'It happened.'

Lucy couldn't help envying Rufus, as she and Wyatt left him to keep an eye out for Flynn while they went to look for the Rittenhouse key in the bank. He had been pining after Jiya for so long, and now he'd finally got what he wanted. She could see from the humble smile and the giddy look in his eyes just how happy he was. She very much doubted she would experience that feeling anytime soon. Not with Wyatt, anyway.

Their plan was simple: Lucy was to go and distract the staff member at the bank with her 'womanly wiles', as Wyatt called it, while Wyatt was to sneak around the building in search of the Rittenhouse key Agent Christopher had shown them a photograph of. Lucy had only just begun her mission to open a new bank account, however, when the gunshot echoed threateningly around the room. Wyatt immediately turned to rush to Lucy's side, but the pistol pointed at his head made him halt in his tracks.

He was shocked to hear a woman's voice say, 'I wouldn't if I were you, handsome,' as she got her finger ready to pull the trigger.

Lucy had frozen over at the other end of the room, and was staring wide-eyed at the young man who was holding out two rifles at the banks' staff members and customers who were all whimpering and holding their hands up in surrender.

'Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This here is a stickup and we're the Barrow Gang. I'm Clyde Barrow. This here is Bonnie Parker. At your service,' the man with the rifles announced in a strong Southern accent that matched his female partners', and Wyatt glared incredulously over at Lucy; what were the chances?!

'Bonnie…and Clyde?!' Lucy murmured, amazed.

Clyde wiggled his eyebrows at her. 'What are you lookin' at? You heard of us?' he asked sceptically, and despite their life-threatening predicament, Lucy couldn't stop herself from smiling as she held up her hands.

While Clyde raided the safes in the back, Bonnie held the remaining staff and customers hostage in one corner of the main room; Wyatt was relieved to be back at Lucy's side, where he could shield her from harm – he didn't like the way Bonnie was holding both guns out so precariously, and he was glad to be shortly rid of the two gangsters. When Lucy pointed out that Bonnie happened to be wearing the Rittenhouse key they had been searching for as a necklace, however, Wyatt realised with dread that they wouldn't be able to let Bonnie and Clyde out of their sight after all.

The moment the two robbers strolled casually out of the bank with the stolen money, Wyatt took hold of Lucy's arm. 'We gotta get that key. Come on,' he urged.

All seemed calm when they stepped outside…until they heard Rufus shout from the other side of the road, 'Guys, look out!'

Immediately alert, Wyatt looked around just in time to see the guns pointed in their direction; he grabbed Lucy and dived down, shielding them both from the gunfire behind a parked car. Bonnie and Clyde were being shot at too, and they were shooting back from behind their own car. Wyatt peered over at the shooters.

'It's Flynn,' he said to Lucy, who was breathing heavily and trying to remain calm as the bullets flew all around them.

'What?!'

'He's with the cops!' Wyatt said, as he began to shoot back at their attackers.

'Flynn must be using the cops to get the key from Bonnie,' Lucy realised with dread.

As the shooting continued, Lucy then heard Bonnie shout to her over from their car, which had been badly damaged from the gunfire.

'Who are you?'

'The cops are after us too!' Lucy replied, struck by sudden inspiration.

'Why are they after you?'

'Well, we can sit here and chat about it, or we can get the hell outta here!' Wyatt yelled back, cottoning on with Lucy's idea.

'Our bucket's all shot up,' Clyde said.

'We got a car across the street. Wanna make a run for it?' Lucy asked hopefully; this could be their chance to somehow get that key from Bonnie.

'If you got our backs, we got yours!' Wyatt shouted, and Bonnie and Clyde nodded in reluctant agreement; he turned back to Lucy. 'You ready?'

'What about Rufus? Rufus!' Lucy called anxiously towards the other side of the street where Rufus was hiding from the cops, but Wyatt interrupted her.

'Rufus knows the drill – if we get separated, we meet back at the Lifeboat. Besides, he's in a lot better shape than we are,' Wyatt pointed out, and he grabbed her hand. 'Let's go!'

Wyatt covered Lucy as she ran across the street towards the car they had stolen earlier; somehow, mainly thanks to Bonnie and Clyde's incredible aim, all four of them managed to escape in the car. The cops, along with Flynn and his henchmen, followed them in their own cars; the sun had set by the time they had finally lost track of the shooters.

'Looks like we lost 'em,' Wyatt said, once they had pulled up along a driveway of a cabin near some woods that Clyde had directed them towards.

'Let's go back and start, shall we?' Clyde said haughtily, as he and Bonnie eyed them suspiciously from the backseat. 'This is Bonnie. I'm Clyde. Who are you two?'

Lucy hesitated and exchanged a sideways glance with Wyatt before answering. 'I'm Lucy. This here's Wyatt.'

'What were y'all doing pulling heat back there?' Clyde muttered.

'We were casing that bank until you and Bonnie showed up dragging a bunch of cops with you,' Lucy replied coolly.

Wyatt gazed at her, impressed by the casual, confident manner in which she said it; the words seemed to roll off her tongue so naturally without a second thought. She ought to have been an actress rather than a teacher.

'Really? What, just by coincidence we show up and hit the exact same bank at the exact same time?' Clyde said sceptically.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows, realising he too would have to play along if they were going to have a chance at convincing the legendary Bonnie and Clyde. 'Well, I guess so. Thanks for screwing it up for us.'

Clyde scowled. 'We screwed it up for _you_?'

Lucy sat round in the passenger seat to face them both, looking surprised. 'You never heard of Lucy and Wyatt?' she asked, smiling.

'No,' Clyde replied shortly, unimpressed.

Lucy turned to smile at Wyatt, only it wasn't her usual smile – there was a different look in her eyes, a look that plainly told him they needed to act like Bonnie and Clyde if they were ever going to win their trust and have a chance of getting that Rittenhouse key from around Bonnie's neck. This was role play. Wyatt smirked back at her, hoping his expression matched that of Clyde's whenever he looked admiringly at Bonnie.

'You heard of the Kansas City Depot job? Or the Union bank job in Atchison back in March?' Lucy asked Bonnie and Clyde, trying to match their Southern accent.

'Yeah, I heard of 'em,' Bonnie replied, watching Lucy suspiciously as she fiddled with her hair. 'The reporters figured us for 'em, but…we were never there.'

'Well, we were. Scored 25,000 smackers. Got away scot-free 'cause the cops were going after you instead of us,' Lucy said, smirking at Wyatt; she decided to ignore the wary look in his eyes and turned back to Bonnie and Clyde. 'I guess we owe you one.'

'Oh, if that's true, you owe us more than one,' Clyde said, as he and Bonnie smiled. 'How 'bout cuttin' us in?'

Lucy opened her mouth to speak but hesitated, completely at a loss with what to say. She turned desperately to Wyatt, who put on a forced smile.

'Oh, no, we…we spent that,' he said, laughing, and Clyde's smile faded at once. 'On hooch.'

Bonnie raised her eyebrows at them. 'Oh.'

'Yeah,' Lucy agreed reluctantly, terrified that Wyatt had blown their cover.

With a sigh, Clyde then opened the car door and got out; as Bonnie followed, Wyatt and Lucy exchanged a dark look. This was dangerous territory.

'Park this in the barn here,' Clyde instructed, indicating the way and opening the front gate of the drive, and he walked over to leer at Lucy from her open window in the passenger seat. 'Y'all meet us inside when you're done. I'll show you what real hooch is.'

Wyatt nodded, smiling at him. 'All right.'

'Okay,' Clyde muttered, and with that he turned around and wrapped his arm around Bonnie, who was looking giddy as she beamed back at the car.

Lucy was baffled; she'd thought their public display of affection during the bank robbery had just been for show, but they really _did_ seem to be completely enamoured with each other. She could feel the tension coming off Wyatt beside her.

'So we just grab that key around her neck and we run, right?' he said to her urgently, the moment Bonnie and Clyde were out of earshot.

'I think we need to talk to 'em first,' Lucy replied heavily.

'Why? These are two killers, what are we waitin' for?' Wyatt asked incredulously.

'Agent Christopher said that we…we need to figure out what the key is for, but we don't know where they got it, who they got it from, or what the key opens. If it's this important to Flynn and Rittenhouse, shouldn't we find out? Don't you think?' Lucy murmured.

Wyatt rolled his eyes. 'Fine. But I am _not_ putting on a stage play for these two,' he said firmly. 'First sign of trouble, we run.'

'Okay,' Lucy replied, trying to keep her voice casual as Wyatt turned back to the steering wheel. 'We just have to grab the key before 9am.'

Wyatt closed his eyes; of course, there had to be something, didn't there? 'What's 9am?' he whispered, flashing her a cynical smile.

'That's when one of Clyde's crew members, Henry Methvin, sells them out,' Lucy explained. 'He turns them over to this legendary Ranger, Frank Hamer – that's the man that was back there a-at the bank with Flynn – Hamer and his men pump over 130 bullets into Bonnie and Clyde's car…at 9am.'

Wyatt stared at her. 'Great. This just keeps getting better and better,' he said sarcastically, and he restarted the engine and drove up the drive, where he parked the car into the barn as instructed.

'C'mon, we've been in worse spots than this,' Lucy said bracingly as they got out of the car. 'We're just pretending to be a crime mobster pair or whatever, at least we're not parading around as the next Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.'

Wyatt groaned. 'Not _yet_. Hell knows where these missions are gonna take us next.'

'You make a fair point,' Lucy murmured, sighing heavily.

They walked in silence out of the barn into the quiet, moonlit yard. The small cabin where Bonnie and Clyde had disappeared into awaited them, the lights lit and the distant sound of a crackly radio playing jazz music could be heard from the open window. Bonnie and Clyde's laughter seemed to ring out across the field, and Lucy felt her heart sink. Those two were going to die tomorrow.

'So what's the deal here then, are we a couple or what?' Wyatt asked, trying to play it cool.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at him. 'W-well I'd have hoped to have had at least one date before we put a label on it,' she said, hoping a bit of humour would lighten the mood.

Wyatt stopped walking and tilted his head at her. He wanted so very much to roll his eyes at her but the twitch of her lips was hard to resist, and so he smirked back.

'I mean, _now_ ,' he said exasperatedly, as they carried on walking. 'Our act for Bonnie and Clyde, y'know, our new best pals.'

Lucy laughed nervously. 'I know what you meant, I-I was just…yeah, I mean, I guess, I don't know…no. We don't have to be?' Lucy said unsurely. 'We're just 'Lucy and Wyatt', not all mixed-gender crime gangs have to involve romance, do they?'

Posing as lovers-slash-bank-robbers seemed far too cliché for even Lucy to handle.

'I couldn't agree more,' Wyatt said firmly, his shoulders tensing up again as they neared the front door.

'Good. Great,' Lucy said, trying not to sound too stung at his response. 'Then let's…get this over with.'

She held out her hand to knock on the door when Wyatt then reached out and held her wrist to stop her.

'Actually, uh…we're trying to empathise with them, right? Be relatable?' Wyatt said, and Lucy nodded warily; he sighed. 'Maybe we _are_ better off selling ourselves as a couple on the run from the law, like them, rather than just…friends.'

'It might work to gain their trust quicker if we seem more like them, yeah,' Lucy agreed at once, swallowing. 'Let's just hope they quit it with the PDA's.'

'Don't worry, we don't have to hold hands or anything,' Wyatt reassured her, and he flashed her a sly smirk before knocking on the door.

Bonnie flung the door open within seconds, already giggling away – she and Clyde had clearly already started on the alcohol – and she welcomed them into their secret home. The cabin was warm and cosy, which was surprising considering that they were using it as a hideout to avoid the cops, and the two hosts quickly began filling up some glasses with gin as Lucy and Wyatt nervously got settled in the kitchen. Wyatt felt his stomach turn as he watched Bonnie and Clyde waltz around the table along to the jazz music, unable to keep their hands off each other; seeing them being so obviously and deeply in love with each other wasn't easy for him, not when he could so vividly remember being that way with Jessica as if it had been merely weeks rather than years ago. It haunted him.

Wyatt sank into a chair at the table as Bessie Smith's 'Yellow Dog Blues' began playing through the crackly radio, and watched uneasily as Bonnie sidled over to the table and raised her glass.

'A toast,' she said, beaming away, 'to close calls.'

She giggled as their glasses clinked; Lucy and Wyatt forced a smile before taking a sip of their drink, trying not to focus on the suspicious glare in Clyde's eyes as he watched them both. Disgusted by the taste of the much stronger gin than Lucy was used to, she let out a spluttering cough. Wyatt looked up at her, half-concerned, half-irritated; if they were really going to try and pull off this stupid act, then they had to play their roles accordingly, and not being able to cope with the alcohol wasn't going to help Lucy's cause in the slightest. He glanced back to Bonnie and Clyde but luckily they hadn't noticed; Clyde had his arms around Bonnie's waist and was tickling her playfully.

'Stop,' Bonnie protested, giggling. 'Stop it.'

Lucy sat on the chair next to Wyatt and they exchanged an exasperated look. This was going to be a long evening.

'Sit down,' Bonnie said playfully, shoving Clyde into a chair.

He grinned up at her. 'I'm sitting down.'

Lucy's eyes fell to the golden Rittenhouse key dangling from the long necklace on Bonnie's chest. It was just like the one in the photograph Agent Christopher had shown them at Mason Industries. They needed it.

Bonnie had noticed where Lucy was staring. 'Oh, you like it, huh?' she said, grinning, her Southern accent particularly prominent.

'I've just never seen anything like it,' Lucy said after a slight hesitation, smiling back. 'Where'd you get it?'

'Clyde got it for me when we got engaged,' Bonnie replied fondly.

Lucy gave Wyatt a sideways glance. 'You're engaged?' Lucy prompted, and Bonnie turned back to Clyde with a hopeful look in her eyes.

'Go on, tell it, you know you want to,' Clyde said wearily with a roll of his eyes, amused.

'Oh, hell,' Bonnie said excitedly, clearly bursting to tell the story, and Lucy smiled across at Wyatt. 'Oh, he woke me up in the middle of the night – "Bonnie, Bonnie, look, I got something for you." And then there he was, down on one knee, holding this pretty little thing. And I stopped him right there, I said, "You know damn well I can't, you son of a bitch."'

'Tell 'em why,' Clyde interjected.

Bonnie grimaced. ''Cause I'm already married,' she admitted.

'And that's exactly why I didn't steal you an engagement ring,' Clyde said, pulling her by the waist onto his lap. 'I was trying to be considerate.'

'Wait, you're…already married to someone else?' Wyatt asked, trying not to sound too judgemental.

'Oh, yeah. She still got Roy's name tattooed on her thigh – look here, I'll show you,' Clyde said, his hand already under Bonnie's skirt, but she slapped his hand away.

'Stop it,' she said with pursed lips.

Lucy changed a sideways glance at Wyatt and caught his eye; they both smirked at each other, and then looked away. The sly twitch in Wyatt's lips made Lucy feel even more nervous; they were under the scrutinising gaze of none other than Bonnie and Clyde…if they failed to convince them that they were a fellow criminal couple, then they were doomed.

'How do you think that makes a man feel?' Clyde went on to Bonnie.

'Yeah, but you know I only have eyes for you, baby,' Bonnie murmured seductively, her face close to his.

'Oh, yeah?' Clyde whispered, and their lips parted as they kissed right there, without caring one bit that Lucy and Wyatt were watching.

Bonnie rested her forehead against Clyde's when they broke apart noisily, and Wyatt took another urgent sip of his gin. This was torturous.

'God, I remember when we first met,' Bonnie said longingly, resting her head against Clyde's as they intertwined their fingers together. 'This was back when people could barely afford a sack of rice. You should have seen him – eighteen, three-piece suit, gold money clip filled with dough and driving a brand-new Fleetwood he had hot-wired that morning.'

As Bonnie laughed, Lucy leaned forward and rested her head on her hand, fascinated. These two were genuine. They were real. And it was scary but also wonderful. Wyatt looked over at Lucy, and took in her doe-eyed expression, her awed smile, her envious eyes. She wanted what Bonnie and Clyde had together, and she deserved it, and more. Perhaps Wyatt had been harsh to persuade her against trying things out with her fiancé. Or perhaps he just wished that he could be the one to give her what she wanted, when he knew he never would be. Not while every thought in his mind was plagued by the guilt and memory of Jessica's death.

'Well, I looked at her, I knew it was meant to be,' Clyde was saying, gazing in wonder at the woman in his arms.

Bonnie grinned. 'He said, "Girl, you about the prettiest little thing I ever seen,"' she said, giggling.

Wyatt just wanted to yell at them to stop talking. This was unbearable – not just because it was cringe-worthy and over-the-top and smug, but also because it was painful. It was bringing back all those vivid mental images of his first wonderful year with Jessica that he had been trying so hard to lock away…He looked down as they carried on with their story.

'And then I said-'

'"My mama don't like me talking to no strange boys",' Clyde interrupted, imitating his fiancé's voice perfectly, and Bonnie and Lucy laughed.

'And then he said, "Well, that's too bad, 'cause-"'

'"I'm never gonna leave your side",' Clyde finished for her, planting a fierce kiss on Bonnie's cheek.

'And that I'll be his…forever,' Bonnie said softly, gazing up at Clyde like he were an angel, and he winked and kissed her cheek again.

Lucy couldn't believe it. The way they were embracing, the way they looked at each other, the sheer infectiousness of the lovestruck smile on Bonnie's face…it was too good to be true.

'That's even better than I read about,' Lucy whispered enviously without thinking, gazing at the table.

Wyatt slowly turned to face her in disbelief. How could Lucy be stupid enough to be so caught up in some soppy romantic tale that she would forget the simple matter that they were pretending to be from 1934?

Clyde frowned at her. 'Like in the papers?' he asked.

'Yeah. In the papers,' Lucy said simply, and Wyatt forced a smile.

'Oh, well, stop the presses!' Bonnie said, looking flustered. 'Here, I'm going on and on…how'd he do it with you?'

Lucy paused for a minute, unsure what Bonnie had meant when she'd glanced from Wyatt to Lucy like that. 'Do what?'

'Propose, silly. I mean…look at that ring,' Bonnie said, staring jealously at Lucy's finger.

Lucy removed her hand from her face to see that Noah's engagement ring was still sparkling on her finger; she had failed to remove it before they'd left for their mission. Wyatt's lips parted, horrified, as he stared at the ring.

'I forgot,' Lucy whispered, trying to convey how sorry and mortified she was for Wyatt that this was happening. 'I'm-'

'You telling me you don't remember something like that?' Clyde asked, and Lucy's embarrassed smile faded as she looked at the suspicious frowns on both his and Bonnie's faces.

''Course I remember,' Lucy said slowly, and she began to flounder as she tried desperately to come up with some convincing story on the spot while Wyatt downed the rest of his drink beside her. 'I…it was, uh-'

But Wyatt then cut over her stutters. 'I took her up to the top of this hill in West Texas – view of the Valley, sun getting ready to set,' he said, and Lucy looked round at him, shocked. 'There's…a tree on top…a great big oak. I, uh…kissed her for the first time under that tree.'

'Oh, God. That must have been something,' Bonnie said eagerly, her grin clearly urging Wyatt to continue.

Lucy forced a smile back at her then glanced uneasily at Wyatt. She had seen that look in his eyes before – in the prison cell at the Hindenburg, in the tent of the Shawnee tribe. This was no fictive story he was telling.

'Well, I got down on a knee, I pulled the ring box out. Only thing was, I opened it up upside down…so the ring falls out onto the damn grass,' Wyatt went on gently, and he was smiling, full of nostalgia, almost unaware of the three people watching him intently. 'Couldn't find the thing anywhere. I was so nervous. Finally, she gets down on a knee there with me…puts her hand on my cheek…a-and just says, "Yes." And she gives me a kiss that I will never forget.'

Lucy couldn't take her eyes off him. She was suddenly overwhelmed by how much she wished his story was true, that it had actually happened between them. She could picture it now; her being giddy with excitement, shaking with nerves as Wyatt got down on one knee in front of her, her desperate desire to just forget about the ring and tell him she would be his forever. But of course, it wasn't her that Wyatt was thinking of as he recounted that story. It was his beloved Jessica. And the tears welling in his eyes only made it more painful, for now Lucy knew that no matter how deeply she was beginning to feel for Wyatt…she had never been more devastated about the tragic fact that Wyatt's wife had died. It was too unfair, too wrong. He had been so in love with Jessica, that alone was evident from the dazed look on his face right now. Maybe he still was, even after all this time.

Pulling himself together, Wyatt then forced a smile and looked up at Bonnie and Clyde, remembering his audience. 'And then we look for the ring together and we find it,' he finished, and he turned pointedly to Lucy, surprised to see that she also had tears in her eyes. 'You remember that, honey?'

Lucy gazed at him, stunned and deeply moved, and nodded rather shakily. 'Y-yeah,' she replied, forcing an embarrassed sort of laugh, and she turned back to Bonnie and Clyde.

Bonnie leant back into Clyde's arms as the two watched Lucy closely. Wyatt's tale had been raw and beautiful and touched a nerve…and Lucy's dazed expression didn't do much to help counter Clyde's suspicion that this was her first time hearing the story, let alone living it. Wyatt turned hopefully to Bonnie and Clyde, and saw the expectant look in Bonnie's eyes, the curiosity as to why her guests were being so distant and hadn't even touched…and then he took in Clyde's expression. He was still sceptical, that alone was obvious. Wyatt's smile faded – he couldn't believe he had put himself through reliving that heart-breaking memory, and it hadn't even worked – and without thinking he turned and moved in towards Lucy.

She barely had time to glance up at him as he cupped her face and drew her towards him…and then he planted a firm but tender kiss on her lips. Lucy moved her hand to Wyatt's cheek as she kissed him back earnestly. When their lips parted, there was a moment that seemed to last an eternity as Lucy simply looked at him, stunned, and Wyatt's eyes lingered on her rosy lips before meeting her gaze. Lucy stroked his cheek gently, completely lost in the beauty of him and the moment, while Wyatt frowned, confused. The kiss had lasted much longer than he had intended in his moment of madness; he had not expected that much of a response from her, just a peck on the lips to convince their hosts. But she had kissed him back and enjoyed it, that much was clear – and worst of all, though he hated to admit it, so had he – and it was hard to ascertain which out of the two was the most surprised by what had just happened.

The two of them didn't notice Bonnie's adoring beam or Clyde's exasperated roll of his eyes, finally convinced by their act. That didn't seem to even matter anymore. Wyatt heard his own words ringing in his ears as he gazed at the beautiful woman with her face inches from his, their hands still on each other's cheeks _…'And she gives me a kiss that I will never forget.'_ Lucy couldn't tear her eyes off him, so shocked she was by the spark that had just ignited between them, and her lips parted wordlessly as she tried to find the right words to say to him.

Meanwhile Bonnie and Clyde were smiling knowingly, approving of their guests' unexpected gesture of affection for each other. They didn't seem to register the look of tender confusion on Lucy and Wyatt's faces, nor the way their eyes had lit up in surprise as they gazed only at each other, lost in their tiny intimate bubble.

'Hot damn,' Clyde then said, chuckling, as he cradled Bonnie on his lap.

Suddenly remembering that they had company, Lucy and Wyatt slowly lowered their hands and leaned away, both of them shaken almost more so by the look that had just passed between them rather than the actual act of the kiss itself.

Clyde then held out his glass. 'To true love, huh?' he said, as Bonnie copied him.

Wyatt smiled back at them as he too raised his glass, trying to seem cool and casual while praying internally that he wasn't blushing. Lucy could barely remember where they were or what they were doing here. Something had happened just now, something new and terrifying and exciting and wonderful, something that would alter their dynamic permanently. And both their hearts were racing like lovestruck teenagers because of it. Lucy downed the rest of her drink in one, too dazed to even care about the repulsively strong taste of the gin anymore, and she glanced nervously at Wyatt as he turned to face her, his expression hard to read, before her eyes darted back to the table, flustered.

There was no way Lucy would ever forget the way Wyatt Logan had looked at her right after she had kissed him back. It was a look that told her that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance after all.


	13. Possibilities

**This chapter concludes 1x09! Enjoy :)**

* * *

As the night went on, Lucy and Wyatt slowly began to recover from the shock of what had happened and turned to focus their attention back on the case at hand – obtaining the Rittenhouse key from Bonnie. This was hard to do without constantly being reminded that they had just locked lips, particularly with them trying to act like a pair of lovebirds in order to get more information out of their hosts about the key.

There was no denying the connection that had developed over time between Lucy and Wyatt, but tonight's events had opened a door that had previously been firmly closed, a door that led down an unknown path, and it scared them both. Lucy was somewhat relieved to know from the lingering moment they had shared that it hadn't just been her, that she wasn't alone in whatever feelings there might be there. Wyatt was stunned by this revelation himself; he'd had a couple of meaningless kisses or flings in the years since Jessica's death but this was different – _very_ different. It may have been for show, and he may still be hung up on Jessica, but – pretence or no pretence – he knew deep down that no one kissed someone like that and not mean it. Maybe that was why they seemed to have finally swayed Bonnie and Clyde into believing their cover and trusting them wholeheartedly – it had been too convincing to _not_ be true.

As the hours crept on, they drank a bit more and talked about previous jobs they'd been on – Wyatt couldn't help admiring Lucy for her incredible ability to retain so much knowledge about the gangsters of this era and use it to pass off as one accordingly – and the four of them ended up moving into the other room, where Lucy and Wyatt sat on the couch. Bonnie and Clyde sat up in their small bed not far from the sofa, snuggled together while Clyde played with his pistol and Bonnie wrote in her journal. The question of where Lucy and Wyatt were going to sleep had not yet been brought up, and Lucy was praying it wouldn't be necessary for them to stay that long. Maybe Rufus would come and rescue them from their evening show of romantic role-play, and they could try out Wyatt's original plan of simply grabbing Bonnie's necklace and running. Anything to escape the sexual tension that was simmering between her and Wyatt now on the couch.

'What you writing over there, huh?' Lucy asked Bonnie from the couch, after glancing nervously at Wyatt beside her.

Over on the bed, Bonnie looked up at her. 'Oh…just one of my poems,' Bonnie replied gently, and she gave an embarrassed smile. 'It's about me and Clyde and…everything that we've been through together.'

Watching the way Clyde's arm was wrapped so lovingly around Bonnie, Wyatt then sighed and sat up on the couch before reaching out for Lucy's shoulder. Nudging her encouragingly, he pulled her over to his side so that she was draped over his lap.

'You-you like to write?' Lucy asked, her heart skipping a beat as she got herself comfortable lying on the couch, holding herself up on Wyatt's lap as he rested his arm around her.

'I love it. Just trying to get all my thoughts down while I still can,' Bonnie murmured, her smile fading as she quickly read through what she'd written in her journal.

Lucy would have felt rather vulnerable, just lying there like that all exposed on the couch in front of the very cuddly albeit very intimidating couple sat near to them, but for some reason the feel of Wyatt's arm around her, fixing her securely against his lap, was extremely comforting. She could even momentarily forget just how anxious she was about the Rittenhouse key. She felt safe like this…and admittedly it was nice to pretend that she had a lover who wanted to care for her and hold her and protect her as much as Wyatt's role encouraged him to. Perhaps a bit more gin in his system had made Wyatt care less about the implications of their fake 'cuddle' on tonight's strange mission.

'"Still"?' Lucy prompted Bonnie, trying to keep her voice steady as Wyatt's arm moved to her outer thigh, his fingers gently pressing the soft material of her dress, and she placed her hand over his – after all, if they were going to do this whole couple act, then they might as well do it properly.

Bonnie hesitated, and from the look on her and Clyde's faces, Lucy could tell that she had touched on a tricky subject for them both.

'You ever get that feeling like you know what's gonna happen next?' Bonnie said anxiously.

Lucy looked up at Wyatt from his lap, and they exchanged a knowing look.

'Oh, yeah. Yeah, a lot lately,' Wyatt replied heavily, and as Lucy brushed her hand comfortingly over his – for the sake of their act or not, he couldn't tell – he felt his fingers twitch, as if he wanted to intertwine their hands together.

'Yeah, we just don't think we have that much time left is all,' Bonnie said to Clyde, chuckling as they looked at each other tenderly.

'You don't know that,' Lucy murmured, and Wyatt watched her carefully – they both knew that she was wrong; she had said it herself that Bonnie and Clyde were going to die tomorrow morning. They were as good as dead men walking.

'Oh, it's all right. You know, as long as we can go out together…we can do that,' Bonnie said lovingly, gazing at Clyde, and he smiled at her. 'That's all that matters.'

'Yeah,' Clyde whispered, and they leant their heads against each other.

Wyatt watched them for a moment, completely transfixed by the sheer devotion they had for each other, and wondered if he had ever really had that with Jessica, or if he had just idealised the memory of her…almost as if he were Jay Gatsby and she was his Daisy Buchanan. He regretted the thought almost as quickly as he'd thought of it, and then remembered Lucy resting on him. She was such a warm and, dare he say it, comforting presence – at least, now she'd got over the nerves and awkwardness of him moving her onto his lap – and it was strangely nice for him to be physically affectionate around someone, even if it was just pretend. It had been so long since he had properly touched or held anyone. He hadn't realised until now just how much he had missed it.

He cleared his throat softly. 'Hey, um, Clyde, where'd you get that necklace? I'd like to get one just like it for my…baby doll…face,' he murmured awkwardly, moving Lucy's hand gently as she smiled up at him.

It took Lucy a lot of effort not to laugh as she turned to look back at Bonnie and Clyde, and her fingers twitched against Wyatt's warm, steady hand. _Baby doll face._ She was going to give him hell for that later if they ever managed to get out of this cabin.

'You can't,' Clyde replied shortly, his eyes only on the pistol he was examining in his hand. 'It's unique.'

'Unique? Unique how?' Lucy asked, smiling back at Bonnie, who suddenly looked very amused.

''Cause of who I robbed it from,' Clyde muttered.

'Well, who?' Lucy pressed, aware of how Wyatt's other hand had now rested on her shoulder.

'Henry-damn-Ford himself!' Clyde announced smugly, laughing along with Bonnie.

Wyatt threw his head back incredulously, unable to stop smiling. 'Oh, come on-'

'No,' Lucy said at the same time in disbelief, and Wyatt moved their hands slightly to tap her thigh, making her lips twitch.

Clyde wiggle his eyebrows at them both. 'Yeah.'

'Clyde decided to write him a letter. He said, "Dear sir, "while I still got breath in my lungs, I will tell you what a dandy car you make,"' Bonnie recited proudly, and Lucy glanced up at Wyatt as his fingers pressed into her shoulder almost like a massage; they smiled at each other. "And I have drove Fords…-"

Clyde helped her out when Bonnie floundered. '"Exclusively."'

'"-exclusively when I could get away with one"-'

'-"Even if my business hasn't been strictly legal,"' Clyde carried on, and Wyatt smirked in amusement, trying not to register just how much he liked the feel of Lucy's warm fingers between his own. '"Don't hurt anything to tell you what a fine car you got in the V8. Signed, Clyde Champion Barrow!"'

Bonnie seemed deliriously happy. 'We found out in the papers that he framed it and put it up on his wall,' she told them excitedly, giggling, and Wyatt raised his eyebrows and smiled down at Lucy, his fingers subconsciously stroking the nape of her neck.

'When we was up in the area on business, I decided to case the place, you know. I wanted to see it for myself. Blew a safe in one of the rooms…inside there was this,' Clyde said smugly, pointing his pistol at the chain around Bonnie's neck.

'Can I see it?' Lucy asked, trying her best to imitate their Southern accent.

Wyatt gave her outer thigh a small playful slap in response, as if to scold her for being so cheeky, and they exchanged an amused smile as Bonnie eagerly got up from the bed and crossed the room over to them. Laughing softly, Lucy began to lean off Wyatt, and he reluctantly released his hold of her, trying not to accidentally brush his hand against her backside, as Lucy sat up to examine the Rittenhouse key up close. Lucy felt her fingers tingling where Wyatt's had been, but luckily was distracted by the stunning necklace Bonnie was holding out to her.

'It's solid gold. Heavy,' Bonnie said enthusiastically, and Lucy's smile began to fade as she took the key in her hands and observed it carefully.

'Wow. It's really old,' she murmured, staring at the small inscription on the key, but Bonnie failed to hear the ominous tone in her voice.

'Now, what does that unlock?' Wyatt asked, fascinated, as he leant over Lucy to look at the key as well.

'Not any lock we've ever picked,' Bonnie replied, amused. 'And look, there's all this funny writing on it, but no idea what it means, though.'

'It's Latin,' Lucy said, once Bonnie had finished laughing.

'Latin?'

'Yeah,' Lucy murmured, and she turned slowly back to face Wyatt; he was impressed – she spoke Latin as well?! – but at her expression, he realised something was very seriously wrong.

'Oh, it's Latin. Get this – Mr. Ford prints a letter in my hometown paper offering $50,000 for the return of his missing key,' Clyde revealed. 'I smelled a trap. What key's worth that kind of money? Well?'

Lucy turned to Wyatt. 'Wanna help me in the kitchen, sweetheart?' she asked, tapping him on the knee urgently.

'Mm-hmm. Yeah, sure thing,' Wyatt said, trying to hide his concern and forcing a smile at Clyde as he pretended to aim his pistol at him.

He followed Lucy through into the kitchen and glanced back anxiously to make sure that Bonnie and Clyde weren't within earshot as he neared over to her by the sink while she washed up their gin glasses.

'Henry Ford?' Wyatt said in a low voice, sounding horrified. 'What, is he part of Rittenhouse? How far back do these dicks go?!'

'The Latin on the key – it means: "The Key to the Beginning of All Time" and "The Key to the End of All Time.",' Lucy murmured to him.

Wyatt stared at her. 'Oh, boy, that's not disturbing at all. What does that even mean?' he muttered, and he sighed. 'How much time till these two get ambushed?'

'I don't know…11 hours, I think,' Lucy replied.

'I don't like the way Clyde is twirling that gun,' Wyatt said anxiously, and they spun round as they heard a glass shatter and Bonnie's familiar laughter from the room next door; Wyatt turned back to Lucy urgently. 'They're drunk. They'll pass out soon enough. As soon as they fall asleep, we grab the key, find Rufus, and get the hell out of here.'

'Sounds perfect to me,' Lucy said, sighing in relief.

She had finished washing their glasses. They stayed stood there by the sink for a moment, the tension rolling off Wyatt, as they thought of how on earth they were going to be able to steal the key from Bonnie and Clyde. Looking up from the kitchen counter, his eyes then fell on Lucy's face; her eyes were reflecting the moonlight from outside.

'Listen, err…' Wyatt began softly, leaning against the counter. 'While we're alone…I just wanted to…'

'Yeah?' Lucy said gently, taking a hesitant step towards him.

His cheeks had coloured slightly. 'W-well I just wanted to say…-'

But he broke off as Bonnie and Clyde burst into the kitchen without warning. Lucy and Wyatt had been so preoccupied that they hadn't even heard them approaching.

'C'mon, y'all, watcha doin' back here? We got a lot more gin and games to get through, y'know!' Bonnie said excitedly, and Lucy and Wyatt rolled their eyes at each other before reluctantly following their hosts back to the couch.

The hours went by far too quickly than Lucy and Wyatt would have liked. They obliged to Bonnie and Clyde's demands to play various card games and drink more gin (though they subtly poured it away when the others weren't looking so as to avoid getting drunk)…and yet still there never seemed to be an opportunity for them to get to Bonnie's necklace. The two gangsters just didn't seem to get tired – unfortunately this wasn't the case for Lucy, who nearly fell asleep against Wyatt's chest as she and him continued to 'cuddle' on the couch in order to prevent any further unwanted suspicion.

It was way into the middle of the night – or rather, early morning – when Bonnie and Clyde finally decided they'd had enough.

' _Sooo_ , lovebirds, we're gonna call it a night,' Clyde announced, making Wyatt's nostrils flare – he never wanted anyone to call him and Lucy 'lovebirds' ever again. 'I'm guessin' you guys don't have a place to stay at if you're on the run as well?'

'Oh, w-well-'

'He's only teasin', you can have our spare bed,' Bonnie reassured them, and Lucy and Wyatt exchanged a wary look.

Bonnie led them past her and Clyde's bed to a second single bed stood next to a dressing screen, with two small cabinets and lampshades on either side. The bed was unbelievably narrow.

'Um…' Lucy's voice was rather high as she looked back and forth between the bed and Wyatt, who was staring at the bed with a rather bemused expression.

'Don't worry, we've got this so you have privacy, it ain't a big deal,' Bonnie said at once, laughing, as she indicated the dressing screen separating the two beds.

'Actually, I'm more concerned about the size…we're not gonna be able to fit on there,' Lucy said doubtfully, wishing she could just sink through the floor. 'But it's okay, I'll just sleep on the couch-'

'Honey, what are you talking about?' Wyatt interrupted her firmly, forcing a smile and fixing her with a stern look, and, realising what she had done, Lucy turned in horror back to Bonnie and Clyde.

'Yeah, you don't like sleepin' with your own fiancé?' Clyde asked, frowning suspiciously at Lucy.

Lucy laughed nervously. 'Of-of course I do,' she replied brightly, reaching up and putting a hand lovingly on Wyatt's broad, toned chest. 'It's all I ever…wanna do. It's great. I-I just-'

'She's just a little shy,' Wyatt cut over her, putting an arm around her shoulder and squeezing her to him tightly while thinking how ridiculously but also hilarious this bizarre situation was.

'Well you don't need to be shy around us,' Bonnie said playfully, winking.

'Yeah, we'll shut our ears, whatever you two get up to, don't you worry,' Clyde said teasingly, and Lucy felt her eyes widen in horror.

'Oh, dear God,' she whimpered under her breath, mortified.

Wyatt couldn't stop smirking. 'Well that's mighty reassuring, thanks,' he said, rubbing Lucy's arm.

Bonnie and Clyde then bid them goodnight and headed straight for their own bed on the other side of the dressing screen, giggling and kissing away. Lucy shook her head in disbelief as she removed her clothing until she was just in her slip.

'Are we really going to do this?' she asked in a hushed voice, once Wyatt had turned around; he had kept his trousers on, but had stripped down to a sleeveless white T-shirt that clung to every muscle of his chest, and Lucy was finding it rather hard to focus.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows. 'Err…"this" being?'

It didn't help that they could already hear moaning and the bed squeaking from Bonnie and Clyde's bed.

'Sleeping in the same bed? It's not exactly what we signed up for,' Lucy pointed out quietly, indicating the narrow bed awaiting them.

Wyatt rolled his eyes, amused. 'Well we're not gonna sleep, we're gonna just wait until they're out cold and then get that damn key.'

'So we could just…sit here, until they do?' Lucy suggested meekly, and Wyatt smiled at her, before realising just how flimsy the white little slip was that she was wearing, and he looked away.

'Or we could get some rest before we go on the run from Mr and Mrs PDA. When was the last time you slept?' Wyatt asked, frowning, and when she didn't answer, he sighed. 'C'mon, just get in the damn bed, Lucy, I'll lie on the floor if it bothers you that much-'

'No, no, it's fine,' Lucy interrupted wearily, embarrassed with herself. 'You're right, we need to…keep our cover.'

'Exactly. It's just an act,' Wyatt reassured her airily, holding the duvet back for her.

Lucy sighed as she got into the bed. 'So much for not putting on a stage play,' she muttered, getting under the covers.

She made room for Wyatt and he squeezed into the bed beside her, so that they were lying side by side, chastely close. Lucy was slim and tiny, particularly compared to Wyatt's broad shoulders, but even then she found it hard not to dangle off the edge as she self-consciously tried to leave an appropriate gap between herself and Wyatt.

'You all right?' Wyatt asked, adjusting the duvet and pulling it up to just above their waists.

'Yeah, I'm good,' Lucy replied, trying not to sound as nervous as she felt.

'No you're not, you're falling out,' Wyatt said exasperatedly, 'move closer.'

Lucy was confused. 'But then we'll be touching.'

Wyatt inclined his head at her. 'Oh my God, somebody should call the cops,' he said in mock horror.

'Ugh, fine,' Lucy murmured, and she positioned herself more securely on the bed, so that their bare arms were resting side-by-side; the touch of his warm skin seemed to send a pleasant electric current running through her.

She wondered how on earth they were still managing to avoid addressing the very big elephant in the room regarding their kiss, particularly now in these circumstances. They would have to talk about it sometime…or would Wyatt continue to just act like it had never happened?

'C'mon, I'm not that bad,' Wyatt said, smirking, as he rested his head on their pillow.

'I'm not saying that,' Lucy said, laughing nervously, 'I just know you don't do touchy-feely, I don't want to make you uncomfortable-'

'Lucy, it's fine.'

 _This_ was practically nothing – they had crossed a boundary earlier; they had locked lips and Lucy had laid across him, so he could definitely handle their bare arms touching now. He didn't mind their proximity actually, which surprised him. So much about Lucy was surprising him recently. It was throwing his mind completely out of balance.

After lying there in silence for around ten seconds, Wyatt began to smile.

'Well…this is awkward.'

'Wyatt!' Lucy snapped at him quietly.

'I'm kidding.' He laughed but his voice sounded strained; there was no hiding the tension there, or his wary manner in which he spoke to and looked at her. It was evident the kiss was playing on his mind too.

'How will we know if they're asleep?' Lucy asked quietly, to change the subject.

Right on cue, the creaking bed and gasping from the other side of the dressing screen grew in volume, and Wyatt turned to smirk at Lucy.

'Well I'm not sure how bad your hearing is, but I think we'll know,' he said sardonically. 'They'll pass out soon enough, the amount of gin they had – they're pissed.'

'Okay, okay,' Lucy muttered. 'Sorry. I don't like this.'

'What, sharing a bed with me?' Wyatt asked, turning to look up at the ceiling.

'No,' Lucy said heavily, 'stealing their engagement present when it means so much to them and they've been so accommodating to us.'

Wyatt shrugged, jolting her slightly. 'They're going to die tomorrow, what difference does it make?' he said quietly.

'Oh, don't say that,' Lucy whispered reprovingly.

'What? It's true. Just chill out, leave the stealing to me,' Wyatt murmured airily.

'So what do we do now?'

'We…we relax,' Wyatt said patiently. 'And we wait.'

'Okay.'

They were silent for a while after that, with nothing but their own nervous breathing and Bonnie and Clyde to listen to. Lucy tried to block out the sounds of the moans and creaking bed beside them, praying they would fall asleep in a drunken stupor as soon as possible, but in doing so she was forced to confront her own tangled web of thoughts concerning the man whose muscled arm was pressed firmly on top of hers, right against her chest. She couldn't look at him as they lay there, and stared determinedly at the ceiling…if she looked at him, in this tiny bed, in such close proximity, she was worried she would try something stupid. Lucy knew something real had happened between them tonight, something that had been so much more than just play acting. It was no longer just wishful thinking on her part – Wyatt had gazed into her eyes right after kissing her, and in doing so, he had lit that spark that Lucy never dared to hope would see the light of day. And now there was an undeniable electricity there between them as they lay side by side, their arms squished against each other, both of them too nervous and flustered to say anything…and she could feel her heart racing like a giddy teenager.

Wyatt was wrapped up in his own thoughts as well, aware of Lucy's nervous swallowing and twitching of her fingers beside him. Of all the assignments Wyatt had been on throughout his military career, this mission was by far the strangest. He would never have predicted when first recruited by Mason Industries that he would end up sharing a single bed with an uptight history professor, not to mention the fact that he would secretly rather enjoy the intimacy of the moment. But this pleasant feeling was somewhat tainted – he couldn't believe he had kissed Lucy earlier…particularly moments after speaking about Jessica…and he felt like he was drowning in guilt and pain. He had never been more confused in his life, and he was worried that the undeniably intense chemistry that was simmering in this tiny room right now was soon going to take over any thought of the mission at hand.

Twenty minutes had gone by – the longest twenty minutes both Lucy and Wyatt had ever had to endure – when Lucy could bear the tension no longer, and she broke the silence as they continued to stare up at the ceiling, mortified by the sounds coming from the bed next to them.

'I thought you said they'd pass out,' she muttered in a low, irritated voice, as Bonnie laughed and moaned Clyde's name longingly from the creaky bed on the other side of the dressing screen.

'Maybe, if they ever came up for air,' Wyatt replied bitterly, also not taking his eyes off the ceiling, and she sighed.

'I mean, can you believe them…the way they are together?' Lucy whispered, awed.

Wyatt hesitated for a moment while he thought about her words, then exhaled heavily. 'Yeah…might be robbers and killers, but…you can't say they're not in love.'

Lucy smiled softly before re-positioning her arm, which had been aching under Wyatt's, and moved it to rest on top of his. 'No, I mean just all the "meant to be's,", and…"only ones"…' Lucy murmured, as Wyatt shuffled his arm against hers as well, his hand accidentally brushing against hers.

'Yeah, what about 'em?' Wyatt whispered, suddenly aware of just how sleep-deprived he was.

'Well…there's a couple billion people in the world, and they're the only ones for each other?' Lucy said, and for the first time she turned her head round on the pillow to face him, a sceptical smile on her face. 'What are the odds?'

'Oh, what? You're all about fate and destiny, except when it comes to love?' Wyatt asked, amused and slightly curious, as Bonnie giggled again next to them.

'I don't know,' Lucy admitted thoughtfully. 'I've seen attraction and chemistry, but…' – she sighed – 'no lightning bolt from the heavens. Nothing like that.'

As she said it, she realised just how sad she was. She had never really believed in the soppy lovey-dovey romance that the movies and fairy-tales told, because she had never experienced anything close to that herself in her whole life. But now, after seeing Bonnie and Clyde…maybe Lucy had been wrong to be so cynical. Maybe she just hadn't been good enough for anyone to have that 'lightning bolt' feeling.

'I've seen it,' Wyatt whispered after a short pause. 'It happened to me.'

He sounded so helpless, so lost. He clearly never expected to experience that kind of love ever again…and for some reason this encouraged Lucy to speak up.

'The engagement story you told…that was how you proposed to Jessica,' Lucy said quietly, knowing she was treading in risky waters here.

Wyatt didn't answer; he just sighed and rested his hand under his head. He didn't really want to talk about Jessica, not after he had betrayed her by…well no, he hadn't betrayed her at all. Jessica had been long gone. It only just hit him then, as Lucy continued to talk softly to him, that there had actually been nothing wrong about him kissing Lucy earlier at all.

Lucy inclined her head towards Wyatt, and glanced nervously at him. 'If there's only one person for you in the whole world, and you lose them…does that mean that you have to live the rest of your life without anyone else?'

Her tone was almost hopeful, and Wyatt hated to admit that she did have a point. He had presumed for years that he would live the rest of his life alone, a broken guilt-ridden man in mourning forever. But now? Now he didn't know how he felt. And it was all because of this woman next to him, her skin warm against his.

'I think…' – Lucy hesitated, wondering whether she was brave enough to continue, and swallowed nervously – '…you…we…anyone…has to be open to possibilities.'

There was a silence as Wyatt took in her words, and wondered to himself, stunned, whether that had been Lucy's way of confessing something. After a slight hesitation, he turned his head round on the pillow for the first time since getting into the bed, his hand touching hers, and he looked at her, trying to read her expression. Nervous but also a bit proud that she had managed to find the courage to somewhat reveal a hint of her own burgeoning feelings, Lucy looked back unabashedly, trying to convey without words that she wanted to be that 'anyone else', she wanted to be that person he could see a possibility with. She hadn't realised until now just how anxiously she'd been holding herself, how tense both their shoulders had been – but now they had both relaxed, and it was such a relief to look at each other at last, to properly gaze into each other's eyes since that lingering moment after their kiss earlier. Lucy's eyes flickered to his lips as she moved her head on the pillow slightly, inclining her face further towards him, and Wyatt felt his heart skip a beat.

In that moment, Wyatt thought something might happen there and then. Her words of wisdom seemed to have resonated in his very being, and suddenly all guilty regrets about Jessica were washed from his mind as he watched the way Lucy's warm eyes fell automatically to the lips she had kissed back so tenderly merely hours ago. The tension in the room was tangible, and as Wyatt gazed back at her face, her stunningly beautiful face that was so close to his, he could hear her gentle murmur again ringing through his mind… _'I think…you…we…anyone…has to be open to possibilities.'_

' _We.'_

Perhaps Lucy was right. Perhaps, after all this time, he did need to let go and move on. Perhaps he had been wrong to dismiss the idea of experiencing that lightning bolt again, and the woman that could help him find love again was actually lying right beside him. And as this thought struck him, Wyatt found himself yearning inexplicably to lean in and kiss her again…

And then a loud snore erupted from the room behind the dressing screen, and the spell was broken.

Lucy released the breath she had been holding in and jerked her head round to the dressing screen where the snoring began to continue. She turned immediately back at Wyatt, her mind refocussed now.

'They're asleep,' she whispered urgently.

In their intimate exchange, they hadn't even noticed that the laughing and creaking had stopped. Bonnie and Clyde had in fact been asleep for a few minutes now.

Wyatt tore his gaze off Lucy and sat up at once in bed to get dressed. Lucy took a moment to herself, her hand resting on her chest as she waited for her racing heart to resume a normal pace, before sitting up as well to pull her pink dress back on over the slip. She had to stop thinking about Wyatt, she told herself firmly as she watched him put his shirt on…the mission was all that was important now.

* * *

The next few hours passed in a bit of a blur. Bonnie and Clyde ended up catching Wyatt attempting to steal the necklace, but were interrupted by their friend Methvin, who had sold them out to the cops. It was somewhat a relief to escape the cabin and reunite with Rufus, in spite of the shootout occurring outside - Wyatt had been terrified at the way Bonnie had aimed her pistol directly at Lucy's head during their confrontation - although it was undeniably tragic when they witnessed Hamer shoot Bonnie and Clyde dead right there in their yard. Despite the hostile way things had ended between them, Lucy and Wyatt felt like they had bonded with those two, that they had helped start something new in the group dynamic. Lucy knew, despite how mortified she acted when telling Rufus about it all later, that she would look back on her and Wyatt's time with Bonnie and Clyde fondly.

When they arrived back at Mason Industries, the team were in a bit of a glum mood - although they had survived the shootout and escaped both the cops and Flynn, they had nevertheless failed in their one main goal to prevent Flynn from getting his hands on the Rittenhouse key. All their efforts last night had been for nothing. Although...maybe not entirely nothing, as Lucy and Wyatt kept thinking to themselves in a daze.

They bumped into each other about an hour after their briefing meeting with Agent Christopher, when they came out of the dressing rooms. Their awkward, almost horrified expressions when their eyes met was enough to tell them that their minds had been on exactly the same thing.

'Hey,' Wyatt said, repressing a grimace.

He was nervous. Back in 1934, they'd had a mission to focus on, a goal to achieve, something to distract them from the awkward fact that they had been way more physically intimate with each other than the job contract had specified…but now? Now they had exhausted all other things to talk about, and this particular topic was unavoidable – they had to clear the air. He had been dreading this moment for hours.

'Oh. Hey,' Lucy said in surprise, glad to see that he was still here.

They stared at each other for a moment. Then they held out their 1930s clothes, back on their hangars ready to put away, and both chuckled softly before turning to walk back into the wardrobe dock together.

Lucy exhaled nervously. Her fingers were practically still tingling from when he had taken her hand and helped her off the Lifeboat like the perfect gentleman he was when they'd arrived back in the present day. He had never done that before. It had been a day full of firsts for them, that was for sure.

Unable to cope with the tension, Wyatt decided that now was a better time than any to speak up.

'Hey, about that…kiss…back there…' he began awkwardly, and he glanced shiftily at her to see her reaction.

She had raised her eyebrows and inclined her head in his direction, but otherwise her expression was perfectly normal; curious, even. He had no idea that her insides were doing somersaults at his words.

'Uh…you know, it was in the moment,' Wyatt continued uncomfortably, and Lucy felt her heart sink slightly. 'Clyde seemed like he was…so I had to make it look real…'

'No, of course, it was smart,' Lucy said at once, trying to reassure him. 'I mean, we had to get the story on the key and pretend-'

'It was just…playing a role,' Wyatt said, comforted by her reaction.

'I know. It worked,' Lucy agreed airily, and they both nodded, Wyatt appreciating that she was being so gracious about it.

There was an awkward pause as they continued to walk past the hangars with their clothes, their eyes flickering around to anywhere but each other. Lucy couldn't help remembering what Wyatt had said to her in that stolen car: _'I am not putting on a stage play for these two.'_ They were trying to deny that that kiss hadn't been anything when it had actually been everything, and they both knew it deep down. She glanced up at him and he did the same; he quickly turned his head away, not knowing where to look.

'Anyway, sorry if that took you by surprise,' Wyatt continued, as Lucy paused by some shelves, her back to him so he couldn't see the disappointment in her face.

She put on a wry smile as she turned back to face him. 'I'll live,' she reassured him with a roll of her eyes.

Wyatt smirked at the dry tone to her voice, the casual way in which she seemed to be responding to the whole issue. Maybe he had misunderstood her reaction and their conversation after their kiss; maybe she hadn't been bothered by it all, and it had meant nothing to her. It was just a kiss, after all, and she was certainly shrugging it off like it was no big deal. He didn't know how that made him feel – he knew he ought to be relieved at the idea of her seeing it in that way, but for some reason it made him sad. But when he chuckled and gazed at her, he saw her smile fade and her lips part as she looked back at him expectantly, having completely forgotten about the dress still in her hand. That irresistible smile on his face was so spellbinding that it had momentarily made Lucy forget that she was trying to be cool about this, to make it easier for them both.

Wyatt opened his mouth to say something – though what, he wasn't sure – when to his relief a Mason Industries member of staff approached and held his hands out for their clothes.

'Thanks,' Lucy said, forcing a smile as the man took their clothes from them to put them back in their respective places, and she turned nervously back to Wyatt.

'All right, well…I will…see you later…baby doll,' Wyatt added flirtatiously with a wiggle of his eyebrows, his lips twitching.

Lucy smirked back. 'See ya around…sweetheart,' she replied playfully, attempting a Southern accent again, and Wyatt laughed softly.

Lucy gazed back at him, at his perfect dashing smile and his intense sparkling blue eyes, and shook her head exasperatedly, unable to believe how she hadn't been so bewitched by his incredible good looks upon instantly meeting him in that waiting room all those months ago. At least they could still flirt around each other, even after what had happened.

Chuckling, they both then turned around – Wyatt to leave the building, Lucy to fetch the rest of her belongings – and as they walked away in opposite directions, both their smiles faded to be replaced with a confused, almost scared expression.

Wyatt frowned and sighed heavily as he trudged on. No matter what undeniable spark there was between them, particularly now, he had to keep Lucy at arm's length, to honour Jessica's memory. He knew Lucy would respect that; she knew he would never follow through on any feelings, particularly if she thought he was 'obsessed' with his dead wife. They'd had to keep their cover up in front of Bonnie and Clyde. They'd had no choice. It was easy for them to use that excuse as a security blanket, so they could hide behind whatever unresolved feelings there were brewing beneath the surface.

But Lucy and Wyatt weren't stupid. They had felt the chemistry between them, they had understood the meaning behind Lucy's talk of 'possibilities', and it frightened them both immensely. This was new territory for them now, something neither of them had ever expected them to cross. What was going to happen now? Would that kiss, that look, that conversation...change everything? Lucy hoped dearly that it wouldn't. She knew Wyatt would probably never want to think of going down that route with her, despite what the look in his eyes earlier had told her, and she didn't want him feeling so awkward or uncomfortable around her now that he would no longer feel able to engage her in conversation. She cared about him too much to lose him as a friend. And she understood why he would refute any idea of those two...well, being more than just work colleagues. He was a grieving widower, who had let his loss consume him and subject him to agonizing pain and heartache for nearly five years. He had never tried to move on from Jessica's death before, and why on earth would he now, particularly now he knew time travel was possible? He would never be able to let go of the thought that he could see Jessica again or somehow save her.

That wasn't just it though. As Wyatt made his way out of the building, deep in thought, he knew that it wasn't just guilt stopping him from trying to move on - he was also afraid that he would fall in love with someone again, that he would let himself get so attached to another woman and risk being hurt again...not to mention betraying Jessica. And Lucy was here now challenging that fear, and the more he would inevitably grow to care for her, the more difficult it would be for him to resist the embodiment of a possibility at finding love again, in the form of Lucy Preston.

' _You...we...anyone...has to be open to possibilities'_ …He knew those words and the heartfelt look in Lucy's enchanting eyes would stay with him for a long time to come. And after what had happened between them today, there was no going back.


	14. Kidnapped

**This chapter covers 1x10 :)**

* * *

'You know what's going on between those two?'

Rufus looked around from his computer to find Agent Christopher stood behind him, looking out at the operations lab curiously. She was watching Wyatt help Lucy up onto the Lifeboat, his hand lingering on hers much longer than it needed to, and she noticed he even put a hand behind Lucy's back as she scrambled through the open capsule door in her elegant ruffled dress and cloak. Flynn had just taken the Mothership out to New York on September the 25th, 1780 – the day Benedict Arnold planned to surrender West Point to the British Army – and the consequences of anything Flynn could do to interfere with this event was beyond catastrophic. It could change the course of the entire American government.

'Who?' Rufus asked distractedly, logging off from his computer and gathering his things ready for their trip.

'Lucy and Wyatt, obviously, who else?' Agent Christopher said, and she sighed when Rufus said nothing. 'Give me some credit, I'm not blind. They've been different around each other recently.'

'I didn't think you cared about our personal lives,' Rufus mumbled.

Agent Christopher raised her eyebrows. 'I do when your personal lives get mixed in with work.'

'W-well I don't know, I don't think there's anything going on with them,' Rufus replied, avoiding her penetrating gaze. 'Me and Jiya, on the other hand, we're solid-'

'Yes, yes, Rufus, and I'm happy for you, but you and Jiya aren't going out on the field together on life-threatening missions that could alter the course of history,' Agent Christopher said impatiently. 'Any…attachment could seriously interfere with the assignment, it could-'

'Agent Christopher, you can't expect us to do this without getting attached,' Rufus pointed out, frowning at her. 'The three of us…after all we've been through…I mean, we're almost like family now.'

'I appreciate that. But we can't let any…complicated feelings get in the way. It'll divert their attention from what's really at stake here,' Agent Christopher said, and Rufus scoffed.

'My God, you really have no faith in us at all, do you?' he said bitterly, a wry smile on his face. 'Lucy and Wyatt are perfectly capable of controlling their emotions and putting any…feelings to the side…so they can focus on the mission. Besides, I don't even think they like each other in that way.'

Agent Christopher stared at him for a moment. 'You're a terrible liar, Rufus, you know that, don't you?'

'Yes, I am _very_ aware,' Rufus replied agitatedly, getting up from his seat.

'Well at least that's something you can work on,' Agent Christopher said, rolling her eyes. 'Now get your ass in that ship, your favourite couple are waiting for you.'

When Rufus climbed through into the Lifeboat, he was not surprised in the slightest to find Wyatt leant up close to Lucy, helping fasten her into her seat as usual. He shuffled awkwardly past them to get to the pilot's seat, and didn't notice the way Wyatt's hand accidentally brushed Lucy's own as he finished buckling her in. As their skin touched, their eyes met. It had been a few weeks now since their encounter with Bonnie and Clyde, and yet they were still reeling from their unexpectedly intimate experience from that night. There was an awareness between them now, a possibility that, if Wyatt let go of Jessica and Lucy allowed herself to lose control, something could indeed happen. And neither of them wanted to admit it.

'Are you okay?' Wyatt murmured to her gently.

Lucy raised her eyebrows at him. 'Aside from Flynn maybe wanting to kill George Washington?'

'Yeah. Earlier you seemed a little…' He trailed off, frowning; he hadn't liked the bloodshot look in Lucy's eyes when she had entered Mason Industries this evening.

'Agent Christopher gave me this thumb drive to keep in here. It has files on her family. You know, in case history changes again. She wants to remember them if they're…erased,' Lucy explained heavily, and she sighed while Wyatt and Rufus gazed at her sadly. 'I wish I could have…had the chance to do the same for my mom, before we went to the Hindenburg.'

'You had no way of knowing that that would happen to Amy,' Wyatt said comfortingly, and he put a hand on her shoulder, looking dismayed. 'God, I'm sorry, Lucy, I keep forgetting you're grieving on your own.'

'In a way I'm not even grieving, not yet,' Lucy admitted thoughtfully. 'I still hope every time we go out in this thing that we'll end up catching Flynn and then Agent Christopher will let me try get her back.'

'And we will. I promise,' Wyatt said earnestly, and Lucy smiled back at him.

Rufus cleared his throat pointedly. 'You guys ready?' he asked, and, blinking rapidly, Wyatt leaned away from Lucy and back into his seat.

New York in the 1780s was drastically different from the New York they knew today – it was almost like they were lost in the countryside, with farmland and old houses and endless swarms of trees and muddy lanes. As they walked along in the direction of Benedict Arnold's house, admiring the horses and carts and soldiers that they passed, Wyatt noticed that Lucy's lips were twitching.

'What are you smiling at?' he asked, amused.

'I'm just wondering how I'm going to manage to get a quote from _Hamilton_ in conversation if we manage to get to George Washington before Flynn does,' Lucy replied honestly, and Wyatt and Rufus grinned. 'There are too many songs to choose from, but obviously…spoilers so-'

Wyatt laughed. 'I should have known you'd be the type of person who wished life was a musical.'

'Well yeah!' Lucy said, as if it were obvious. 'I was a singer when I was a teenager, I took part in school musicals and everything.'

Wyatt inclined his head at her, impressed. 'You used to sing?'

'Yeah. Quite a lot, actually,' she replied humbly as they walked on, feeling her cheeks go red.

'Aha, I _wondered_ what it was you did in that band you told me about,' Wyatt said playfully, and Lucy was touched that he remembered that conversation from so long ago. 'I would love to see you sing.'

Lucy laughed sceptically. 'Never in a million years,' she said firmly, and Wyatt nudged her arm, chuckling.

'Oh, c'mon!'

Lucy opened her mouth to respond, unable to stop herself from smiling at the eager expression on Wyatt's face, but Rufus interjected with a groan. 'Enough with the flirting already, guys, we've got a job to do,' he said exasperatedly, leading on down the muddy lane.

Lucy was mortified. 'W-we weren't-'

'Sorry, Rufus,' Wyatt interrupted, and he smirked at her teasingly. 'C'mon, let's get a move on.'

They reached Benedict Arnold's house – or rather, his ludicrously extravagant mansion – not long afterwards, but merely minutes after they had tentatively entered the garden, none other than General George Washington himself and his forces captured the three of them, and shut them away in one of Arnold's studies while he decided what to do with them.

They waited anxiously…and then Garcia Flynn entered the room with his gun already pointed directly at them. Flynn tried to persuade Wyatt to put his gun away, with the threat of having George Washington shot if they didn't cooperate with him and play along with his scheme, but it was Lucy's urgent whisper of his name that made Wyatt hide his gun away in his jacket just as George Washington came into the room. It became apparent that Flynn had told Washington that Lucy, Wyatt and Rufus were spies in the Culper Ring, and before they knew it, they were agreeing to head into redcoat territory, capture Benedict Arnold, and bring him back to Washington.

Lucy and the others confronted Flynn about this mission later in the dining room, and Wyatt was most irritated to discover that Flynn was doing this because he needed Lucy's help to find and interrogate Benedict Arnold. It was only further on in their heated discussion that they found out why – Flynn explained that Bonnie's key that he'd stolen had opened a clock, which contained a secret letter. He showed them the letter: it revealed Arnold to be one of the founding members of Rittenhouse.

'This is the year they began. This is our chance,' Flynn said to them earnestly. 'We're gonna kill Rittenhouse in the crib. We're gonna stop them before they ever get started.'

Lucy didn't want to believe his words, but the more he talked, the more he was beginning to make sense…and then he made them an offer in exchange for them helping him capture Arnold – for him to surrender the Mothership. While Flynn showed Lucy a part of her future journal, where she had written about the monstrosity that was Rittenhouse, he then made an extra deal with Wyatt, who was still sceptical.

'You help me, and I'll tell you what happened on Portero Road, mile marker 47,' Flynn said, and Wyatt's eyes widened. 'That's right, I'll give you the name of your wife's killer.'

Lucy and Rufus looked up at Wyatt in shock. Lucy could see the way Wyatt's face had lit up, the way his lips had parted in disbelief. And with a twinge of annoyance she could see right then in that moment that none of her words spoken to him in Bonnie and Clyde's cabin had resonated with Wyatt at all.

'So you help me get Benedict Arnold, no more Rittenhouse. No more chasing me through time. Your wife's killer found. Everybody wins,' Flynn said urgently, and Lucy knew that Wyatt had been completely beguiled by this dangerous offer.

They went outside not long after that to meet Washington; Flynn went over to Washington's officers to discuss the tactics of how to proceed with the mission, and Lucy and the others hung to the side, completely conflicted. They were seriously contemplating helping a terrorist, killing someone, changing history…it was all too much. While they debated their options, Wyatt kept glancing at Lucy, concerned, as she rifled through some of the pages from the journal that Flynn had lent her, her eyes full of terror.

'You can't tell me you actually trust Flynn,' Rufus was saying to Wyatt in disgust as they argued.

'No, of course not, but if there is even a…a one per cent chance that he really knows who Jessica's killer is?' Wyatt said agitatedly, clearly tormented, and he turned to face Lucy; she hadn't spoken since they had left the dining room, and it was worrying him. 'Where do you come out on this?'

Lucy was still staring at the journals' pages in horror. 'If this is true, Rittenhouse has their fingerprints all over…the Trail of Tears, Jonestown Massacre, the Waco Siege…but it's all still history, which is what we're supposed to protect, even the bad stuff,' Lucy said in a low, empty voice, and she looked up at Wyatt doubtfully. 'Aren't we?'

Wyatt exchanged a look with Rufus, and knew he was thinking the same thing – they weren't even sure what their goal was or what was right anymore. The moral issues surrounding Rittenhouse and Flynn were way more complicated than they would have ever anticipated. Wyatt turned to Lucy sympathetically, realising she must be in turmoil as a dedicated historian, and he opened his mouth to comfort her, but then Flynn approached, asking if everyone was ready.

Once Flynn had revealed his plan and began leading the way down the muddy road, Lucy felt herself getting even more anxious than she had been before.

'Are we actually sure this is a good idea?' she asked worriedly as they trudged on through the mud towards the forest. 'I mean, the British will shoot at us, whether we're pretending to be deserters or not. This might not work. Not too late to back out.'

'We've got this far. C'mon, think of what Flynn said,' Wyatt said encouragingly, as he held back to walk by her side. 'No more chasing after him once we get this done. It'll all be over, you'll be able to get Amy back.'

'And you'll find out who killed Jessica,' Lucy said, watching him carefully for his reaction. 'What will you do, when he tells you?'

Wyatt frowned. 'I…I don't know.'

'Go and talk to…whoever it is?' Lucy suggested meekly, as they followed Rufus and Flynn on into the trees. 'It might help get you some closure.'

'By "talking" to the person that murdered my wife? The love of my life?' Wyatt said sceptically, raising his eyebrows at her.

Lucy swallowed, unprepared for the knot that twisted her heart at his words. ' _The love of my life.'_

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…' She trailed off hopelessly, confused. 'You're right, I don't understand.'

'You understand better than anyone I know, Lucy, you lost someone close to you as well,' Wyatt said softly. 'But at least you have a guarantee that you can go and try save Amy. I have nothing.'

'That's not true,' Lucy murmured.

Wyatt looked up at her, and as his gaze met hers, it took her every bit of effort to refrain herself from saying, 'you have me'.

'I'll fight your corner with Agent Christopher when the time comes, and if Flynn actually does give you that information…we can discuss what we're going to do about it,' Lucy said reassuringly; as much as it pained her to say it, she did truly mean it. All she wanted was for Wyatt to be happy and back to his full self.

For one mad second Wyatt could feel his eyes welling up as he smiled gratefully at her, overcome with fondness for this woman who was so much more than just the annoying co-worker he'd first seen her as. He couldn't believe how much he'd taken her for granted before. She was a true friend. More than that, if he was being honest with himself, but he couldn't consider that possibility…even though it had been playing on his mind ever since their adventure with Bonnie and Clyde. He couldn't, particularly now he could potentially find out who killed Jessica…and maybe even do something about it.

'But for now…I just don't know if this is right,' Lucy went on anxiously. 'Working with Flynn…'

'Yeah, but we're working to end all of this. To put a stop to it, for good,' Wyatt said urgently. 'Isn't that what you want?'

'Of course it is…but at what cost?' Lucy asked despairingly, uncomfortably aware of Washington's officers marching close behind them, awaiting their command from Flynn.

'Try not to worry about the consequences to the timeline for once, okay? You can't have the weight of the world on your shoulders all the time,' Wyatt said, unaware that Rufus and Flynn had stopped walking and were waiting for them to finish talking. 'And hey, we might change things for the better if we take down Rittenhouse now before it even gets started.'

Lucy looked up at him and sighed. 'You're going to go ahead with Flynn's plan no matter what, aren't you? You're not gonna give up until you get the name of that murdering bastard off Flynn,' she said, and there was an almost admiring tone to her voice.

'Hell, no, I'm not giving up,' Wyatt said firmly, and he smiled at her. 'I could even say that…I am not throwing away my shot.'

It took a second for Lucy to grasp what he had just said, and she grabbed his arm, her face alight. 'Wait, was that a _Hamilton_ reference?' she asked enthusiastically, like the cute nerdy fangirl she was, and Wyatt laughed softly.

'Thought you could do with a little something to make you smile,' he said gently.

Lucy smiled warmly back at him, unable to tear her eyes away from his own sparkling blue ones, and wishing that he would stop doing and saying things to make her fall deeper and deeper when it was a lost cause.

 _He's still hung up on Jessica. It's never going to happen. Get a grip and pull yourself together._

Just as she opened her mouth to say something to Wyatt, who was still smiling irresistibly at her, Flynn then marched over impatiently.

'So are we going to keep waiting for the grass to grow, or shall we get on with this?' he said agitatedly, glancing between the pair. 'Don't get me wrong, this looks very sweet and I'm all for team bonding, but we are on a clock here.'

He pushed past them irritably to instruct the officers behind, and Wyatt looked past Rufus to see that they were almost at the British border, where the redcoats were waiting. He turned back to see that Lucy was casting Flynn a dark look.

'I hate him,' she muttered.

'Not as much as I do,' Wyatt assured her, smiling grimly, and he put a hand on the small of her back as they walked over together to join Rufus.

They got past the redcoats with surprising ease; they approached the British Garrison up the road by pretending they were defectors running away from Washington's officers. The four of them ducked down for cover as the British and Americans shot at each other, but soon the coast was clear and they could get through. The moment the gunfire had ceased, Wyatt turned to Lucy to check that she was all right; scrambling up from the ground, he grabbed her by arm, patting her reassuringly before helping her up to her feet and ensuring she got through the open gate safely.

It was nightfall by the time they reached Benedict Arnold's house. Lucy managed to bribe their way into a meeting with him under the pretence of being loyalists and acquaintances of General Clinton's. However, when Arnold refused to speak to them privately, Flynn soon lost his patience; he shot dead the other two redcoats instantly, including Earl Cornwallis, who was supposed to negotiate the peace treaty between Britain and Napoleon in twenty years' time. Wyatt managed the situation by keeping a hold of Arnold before he could escape, but as they tied him to a chair, Lucy and Wyatt exchanged dark, panicked looks; what were they doing? They were really helping a terrorist here, and already two innocent people had died because of them. What more harm would be done tonight if they kept on with this?

It later transpired, however, that Flynn's idea of interrogating Benedict Arnold was a lot more valuable than Lucy and the others had previously anticipated – they found out that Rittenhouse wasn't a 'they'; right now, in this time, it was just one person by the name of David Rittenhouse, who had founded the society and promised Arnold a better future. Flynn subsequently made a deal with Arnold for him to introduce them all to David Rittenhouse, otherwise Arnold's wife would be killed on the orders of Washington, and so Arnold was left with no choice but to oblige. While Flynn accompanied Arnold upstairs to keep watch while he fetched his belongings before leaving, Lucy and the others waiting in the corridor downstairs. Wyatt seemed perfectly at ease, but Lucy and Rufus were clearly in torment about Flynn's obvious plan; Rufus had sunk onto a seat in the corner, and had his head in his hands, while Lucy was leant against the stairwell, biting her lip anxiously.

'I don't know what to do,' Lucy murmured, unable to look at either of them. 'I've never felt so…I always know what I think is the right thing, and right now, I just…it all just feels so out of our control, which I hate, but then when I think about it…it is _in_ our control. Whatever we decide now determines the fate of…so many lives, so many events in history…'

'Yeah, talk about pressure,' Rufus mumbled. 'History has its eyes on us.'

Lucy raised her eyebrows at him. 'Rufus, you know _Hamilton_ as well?' she asked, and Rufus scoffed.

'Who the hell doesn't?'

There was a strained silence as the three continued to think carefully about their imminent visit to David Rittenhouse. They knew Flynn was wanting to murder this man. And maybe, after all they had been through and what Lucy had read in her journal…maybe David Rittenhouse deserved it. But if they _did_ go through with it…then history would be altered dramatically, there was no doubt about it. They could go back to a world they didn't even recognise. And after what had happened to Amy, this prospect absolutely terrified Lucy.

'Okay, Arnold and Flynn will be down any second,' Wyatt said in a tense voice after a while, and he looked back and forth to Lucy and Rufus. 'What do we think?'

Rufus hesitated. 'I'm in,' he said finally, and Lucy looked up at him in surprise.

'You were the one that said we were a bunch of Benedict Arnolds,' Wyatt said, a hint of a smile on his face.

'That was before Rittenhouse was just one dude,' Rufus pointed out, getting up from the chair. 'If all we gotta do is stop one guy-'

'What, so we just kill him?' Lucy said sceptically, looking up at Wyatt and Rufus in disappointment. 'We just kill him in cold blood?'

'Wyatt's killed before,' Rufus said heavily. 'So have I.'

At his words, Lucy felt truly alone and separate from the two men watching her worriedly. Lucy couldn't imagine ever killing anyone, even if it was the right thing to do. She just wasn't that sort of person. And yet it didn't seem to bother either of them.

'If this one move cuts the head off the snake…wipes Rittenhouse out, frees me from them, frees my family, then my vote…my vote is yes,' Rufus said firmly, and his voice shook with rage.

Lucy hadn't realised until then just how much of a terrible impact Rittenhouse had had on Rufus's personal life, on his loved ones.

'I vote yes too,' Wyatt said, and his eyes flickered to Lucy.

She gazed back at him, wishing she could come to their conclusion with less difficulty. But she also knew, from the look in Wyatt's eyes, that he wouldn't do anything against her wishes. He valued her opinion more than his own principles now. And he was going to help her through this, she just knew it.

'If we do this, then…history's gonna change,' Lucy murmured helplessly, shaking her head. 'And what if…what if more people vanish like my sister?'

'What if more people are saved? Hell, what if you come _home_ to Amy?' Wyatt pointed out, and Lucy met his gaze again, her eyes watery.

Rufus turned away and walked over to the other end of the staircase, unable to cope with Lucy's indecisiveness…and also unable to cope with the brewing sexual tension that he could practically taste in the air as Lucy and Wyatt got lost in each other's eyes. Wyatt then slowly took a few steps forwards to Lucy and began to speak to her in a soft but firm tone.

'Lucy,' he said gently, 'this isn't saving the Moon launch or the Alamo. This is killing one evil son of a bitch, to save…maybe hundreds of lives. I'm sorry, I don't think that "history" is an excuse to sit back and let people suffer.'

Rufus glanced up at them both, at Wyatt's earnest expression imploring Lucy to see reason, at Lucy's tear-filled eyes full of conflict…at how close they were stood to each other. He had heard it in the way Wyatt had spoken her name so softly just then, but looking at them now, he knew for sure – Agent Christopher had been right after all. Something _had_ changed between Lucy and Wyatt. Rufus could see it simply in their body language, in how comfortable they were being so close to each other, in the way they had been laughing together earlier, in the way they looked at each other now, their eyes full of communication without them even needing to say a word to each other. Something was different, and he wasn't sure when or how it had happened, but one thing he knew for certain – if Flynn did indeed live up to his end of the bargain and provide Wyatt with the identity of his wife's killer, then perhaps Agent Christopher wasn't being stupid after all worrying about complicated feelings getting in the way of their missions.

'I know you well enough by now,' Wyatt went on to Lucy, and there was something far more than just fondness and admiration as he gazed at Lucy. 'What you really believe in…is helping people. But, hey, we're in this together, so…'

But he trailed off as Flynn and Benedict Arnold appeared on the landing above and came marching down the staircase.

'So are we all ready to do this?' Flynn asked briskly, and Rufus turned desperately to Lucy.

'Lucy,' Wyatt murmured, and Lucy looked at him despairingly, her lips parting but no words coming out because she still hadn't made up her mind. 'Are we ready?'

Lucy stared at him for a moment, at his calm face, his deep breathing, his silent reassurance in his eyes that if she refused he wouldn't think any worse of her…and then she gave a rather shaky nod. 'Yeah,' she whispered.

Wyatt nodded, and began to follow the other three men out, though he looked behind to check that Lucy was all right as she wrapped her cloak around her. She was shaking. As they headed outside and began to board Arnold's horse and cart that awaited them, Wyatt then grabbed Lucy's hand and held her back for a moment. He didn't want to see her like this; it made him uncomfortable to know that he was pressuring her into something that went against everything she believed in.

'Lucy. Just come here for a moment,' he said, and he pulled her to the side; Flynn held his hands out from the cart at them, exasperated.

Lucy frowned as he rested her against a tall brick wall. 'What are you doing? We need to get going, Benedict said it would take us nearly a whole day to get there-'

'That's not what I care about right now,' Wyatt interrupted firmly, fixing her with that firm gaze of his, and Lucy felt her heart melt. 'Are you sure you're ok with this?'

Lucy hesitated, then realised there was no point in lying…not to Wyatt. 'No, I'm not. But I agree with you and Rufus,' she replied honestly, shrugging. 'It's what we have to do.'

'I won't go through with it if you don't want me to,' Wyatt said softly. 'I'm with you, whatever you decide.'

'I'm not in charge here,' Lucy said, frowning.

Wyatt tilted his head at her in amazement. 'Of course you are. We wouldn't be able to do any of these missions without you,' he said earnestly, and he smiled. 'Who else would we follow?'

Lucy looked back at him sceptically for a moment, then found herself laughing softly at how far they had come since they'd first met. 'I'll be all right, Wyatt. Really. Thank you for checking though,' she murmured quietly, and she squeezed his hand before leaning off the wall and leading their way back to the horse and cart. 'C'mon, let's go find David Rittenhouse. We're gonna…be in the room where it happens.'

' _Hamilton_ again, really?' Wyatt said, amused by her cheeky little smile, as they walked up to their impatiently waiting team in the cart.

'You've gotta give me this, c'mon,' Lucy pointed out, raising her eyebrows at him.

'Fine,' Wyatt said, rolling his eyes and smirking, and he held out his hand to help Lucy up into the cart; Lucy thought he hesitated for a moment before letting go as they sat down side by side, and tried to mentally prepare themselves for a twenty-hour journey without food and sleep…and with Garcia Flynn for company.

* * *

The trip to David Rittenhouse's residence was a lot slower and more gruelling than they had anticipated. They made regular stops to try and get some food or water the horses or have a toilet break, but other than that, they kept going, at Flynn's insistence. Wyatt volunteered to swap with Rufus and sit at the back sometime in the morning, and spent a while simply staring at Lucy's shimmering raven black hair, still set in the elegant curls Jiya had styled yesterday, a subtle hint of red reflected in the sunlight. This view was spoiled slightly, however, during the early afternoon where Lucy's tiredness overwhelmed her and she ended up pulling up the hood of her cloak and falling asleep on Rufus's shoulder. A part of Wyatt wished that he could swap seats again with Rufus, but he quickly shook that thought out of his head…he needed to focus on one thing: the route to finding Jessica's killer.

During one of their breaks in the early evening, Wyatt came back from the woods to see Lucy deep in conversation with Flynn. He hoped Flynn hadn't said something cruel or threatening to upset her. But then, as he neared the cart, he realised from their expressions and the way they were stood in front of each other that they actually seemed to be engaging in an almost normal, serious conversation. A private conversation.

Wyatt felt a twinge of annoyance.

'We should keep moving,' he called pointedly over to them.

Lucy and Flynn looked away from each other at once, and Lucy turned back to face Wyatt, an almost guilty expression on her face. She didn't like how aggravated he looked, and was even more disconcerted by his unwillingness to talk to her for the rest of their journey. It was only when they arrived at their destination, and Rufus was forced to stay behind due to Rittenhouse's racist tendencies, that Wyatt told himself to get a grip – after all, it wasn't like Lucy was fraternising with the enemy or anything – and sat down beside her. She was breathing very deeply, trying to keep herself calm. As the horses pulled the cart up the gravel driveway to Rittenhouse's gigantic estate, Wyatt's fingers reached out comfortingly to touch Lucy's on their seat; she glanced at him but they looked away from each other almost immediately, although kept their fingers where they were.

David Rittenhouse, it turned out, was a clockmaker – when they entered the dining room, they found it to be filled with a large collection of clocks, all of varying shapes and sizes…as well as a young boy, on the brink of adolescence. This boy was David Rittenhouse's son, John, and during a conversation with Lucy and Wyatt, he told them about his father's organisation, and its tyrannical goal to gain control over everyone and everything. When Lucy tried to find out about John's own opinion on the matter, however, they were interrupted by none other than David Rittenhouse himself, along with his henchmen. He was an old man; bald, with beady eyes and tiny spectacles perched on the end of his nose. When Benedict Arnold introduced Rittenhouse to his new 'recruits' who were patriots to his cause, Rittenhouse turned to face the four strangers with a fascinated look in his eyes.

'May I get a better look at you?' Rittenhouse asked, after exchanging pleasantries, and Lucy looked up, surprised to see that he was pointing directly at her. 'My eyes aren't what they used to be.'

John approached Lucy. 'Go on,' he said reassuringly. 'Father wants to examine you.'

Lucy looked up at Wyatt, who was frowning warily, but gave her a look that plainly told her everything was going to be all right. He had her back. He was there. Lucy got up from her seat and slowly approached David Rittenhouse, her expression blank, while she tried to keep herself calm and her heart rate steady. She was petrified to be stood directly in front of the evil, twisted man whose ideas would later cause so much pain and destruction in the future.

'You have good, strong teeth,' Rittenhouse said, grabbing her bottom lip abruptly, and Lucy flinched. 'Good skull proportion.'

'Stop,' Lucy snapped in a whisper, shaking her face free from his grip.

Rittenhouse looked her up and down. 'Your hips are a bit narrow, but nobody's perfect,' he said, and Lucy scoffed in disbelief. 'Have you…reproduced yet?'

Wyatt watched them both carefully, his frown seemingly permanently etched onto his face – what was this guy's deal? He hated seeing Lucy vulnerable like this, for her to be poked and prodded like a disposable object. It wasn't right.

Lucy hesitated before answering Rittenhouse. 'No,' she said eventually.

'Good,' Rittenhouse said promptly, and he nodded at one of his henchmen.

At his signal, the henchmen surrounding the room immediately pulled out their pistols, and aimed them directly at Wyatt and Flynn's heads. The one nearest Lucy grabbed her and drew out a knife to her throat.

Lucy gasped out in horror. 'Wyatt,' she whispered desperately, because it was the only thing she could think to say with her life in such immediate danger.

'What are you doing?' Wyatt demanded in a shaking voice, glaring at Rittenhouse and knowing that he was never going to let this bastard get away with threatening Lucy with a knife.

'No sudden movements, if you please.'

'David, what is this?' Benedict Arnold asked, panicked.

'These men are here to kill me,' Rittenhouse replied.

'You got this all wrong,' Flynn said calmly.

Rittenhouse raised his eyebrows as he looked back and forth from Lucy to Wyatt. 'Really? The sweat on her brow. The hand near your pocket, where I assume you have a pistol – this isn't the first time I've seen that look on a man's face, believe me. You mean me harm,' he said to Wyatt, and then his eyes turned longingly to Lucy. 'But don't worry, my dear…we'll still find a good use for you.'

At his words, Wyatt wanted nothing more than to grab his gun and shoot this man right in the head, but knew that if he did that then someone else would get shot. These henchmen outnumbered them. And there was a knife at Lucy's throat. He couldn't risk anything happening to her.

 _This is all my fault,_ he thought despairingly. _I convinced her to come here, and now look what's happened._

Benedict Arnold tried to plead innocence for his betrayal, but it was no good; Rittenhouse shot Arnold multiple times until he was dead, and Lucy tearfully struggled against the henchman's firm grip, her breathing coming out in terrified, panicked gasps, as she stared at Arnold's blood-soaked body on the floor.

And then something even worse happened – Rittenhouse indicated the henchmen to bring Wyatt and Flynn forward, their pistols ready.

'NO!' Lucy cried out, as they were pushed to their knees in front of Rittenhouse.

She tried to run forward to Wyatt but the henchman holding her kept her back, so all she could do was look at him, her eyes bloodshot, as Wyatt tried to flash her a reassuring look. Whimpering, she turned to Rittenhouse in despair, and knew then that she would offer anything, literally _anything_ , to spare Wyatt's life.

'Please don't hurt them in front of me,' John begged his father.

Angry and trying to keep his breathing steady, Wyatt looked over at Lucy again, her eyes full of tears. He wished he could tell her it was all going to be okay, but he couldn't. Because right now, their predicament didn't seem very good. If he was indeed shot here in the next few minutes, what would happen to Lucy? Wyatt was shocked to find himself more fearful for Lucy's fate than for his own imminent death.

'Now, John,' Rittenhouse said slowly, smiling, 'what have I said about seeing the world as it really is?'

'Yes, Father,' John replied blankly, his expression empty, as he turned, almost robot-like to look down at Wyatt and Flynn knelt on the floor before them.

'You two are sentenced to death,' Rittenhouse said, and as Lucy gasped in protest, he turned to her and slowly walked up to Lucy with a look in his eyes that shook her to her very core. 'But _you_ …are to be brought to my bedchamber.'

Her face contorted in rage, Lucy fought desperately against the henchman's grip but it was no use – he dragged her away out of the dining room, and Wyatt took one last look at Lucy, furious that this pitiful excuse of a man was planning to rape her as soon as he was done pulling the trigger, and he felt the fury build up inside him as Rittenhouse aimed his gun at him and Flynn. As Rittenhouse got ready to shoot, Wyatt tried to concentrate on Lucy – not of Lucy's look of terror as she was forced out of the room just then, but of her giddy smiles when anyone had referenced _Hamilton_ on this mission, of her awestruck eyes when they had met anyone famous, of her carefree laughter once she'd had a glass of wine at the local bar, of her impressive fountain of knowledge that she regurgitated confidently without a moments' hesitation, of her awkward clumsy manner, of the blush on her cheeks whenever Wyatt complimented her or flirted with her, of the breath-taking way in which she had looked at him with that loving gaze right after he had kissed her…

Rittenhouse put his finger on the trigger…and Wyatt realised that his last thought would be of Lucy Preston.

And then Rufus's voice called out from nowhere: 'Hey!', and with a loud fire of the rifle in his hands, a shootout broke out in the dining room as Rufus scrambled through the open window to save his team. Lucy broke free of her henchman's grip easily once they were distracted by the pandemonium in the dining room, and sure enough, after a great deal of fighting and gunshots, all the henchmen were dead. She barely had time to exchange a relieved look with Wyatt, both of them glad to see that the other was okay, when Flynn slowly approached Rittenhouse, his gun ready.

'Killing me won't change anything,' Rittenhouse said in a self-satisfied sort of way. 'There are others. This will outlive me you all of us. Rittenhouse will become-'

But he was interrupted by the bullet that hit him squarely in the chest. Breathing heavily, as Rufus murmured to himself in disbelief over what had just happened, Wyatt immediately looked round to see if Lucy was all right. She was staring at Rittenhouse's body with a sort of heavy acceptance in her expression. Feeling his eyes on her, Lucy gazed back at Wyatt, and he was relieved to see that there was no anger there, no bitterness – she still maintained that it had been the right decision, despite what they had just been put through.

Once they had got over the initial shock of Rittenhouse's decease, Flynn then went searching round the room agitatedly, asking where his son, John, had escaped to. Lucy and Wyatt tried to convince Flynn that there was no need to kill John, but Flynn wouldn't listen – he was mad with grief, determined to stop the organisation from spreading at any cost – and so he ran from the house in search of John. Wyatt and Rufus split up from Lucy to go after Flynn, while Lucy went the other way to find and protect the boy.

Wyatt and Rufus searched the grounds for a good ten minutes, wondering how Flynn could have possibly got away from them so fast, and when they bumped into each other by some trees just outside the gardens, they were both empty-handed.

'Anything?' Rufus asked desperately, clutching a stitch in his side.

'No, you?' Wyatt said, panting heavily.

'Nothing.'

And then came a sound that made Wyatt's stomach drop.

'Wyatt!'

Wyatt looked up, his heard thudding with dread. _Lucy. Oh, God, please no._

'WYATT!'

Her cries for help were panicked, distant…terrified. Lucy was in danger. The reason they hadn't found Flynn was because Lucy already had.

'Come on!' Wyatt said urgently, grabbing Rufus and running forward into the fields into the pitch-black night, trying to trace the sound of Lucy's shrieks. 'LUCY!'

'Wyatt!' Lucy called back in desperation, struggling against Flynn's hold as he dragged her across the muddy grass.

She didn't even know if Wyatt was close at all, but all she could think to do was scream his name because he was the first person that came to her mind. He always was.

'Flynn!' Wyatt shouted angrily, as he ran faster than he could ever remember running after the sound of Lucy's voice.

'Rufus!' Lucy cried, her voice echoing through the night, and she faltered as she saw the stolen Mothership awaiting them and fought back against Flynn. 'No. No! Let _go_ of me!'

'Lucy?!' Wyatt yelled, truly panicking now as he and Rufus continued to run and search around for her.

'Wyatt!'

'LUCY!' Wyatt cried in a strangled voice, his face contorted in fear…and then he froze when he saw the Mothership, its blue lights shining out and its engine reverberating as the wheels spun and the capsule door closed firmly shut…

'Lucy!' Wyatt bellowed, and he charged forward without even thinking, without caring that he could be mortally wounded if he climbed onto the ship with it about to set off, without realising that it was hopeless…because all he could think of was Lucy, and how unable he was to bear the idea of her being hurt, how he needed to see her safe at his side… –

The gust of wind nearly knocked both Wyatt and Rufus off their feet as the Mothership vanished on the spot. For a moment Wyatt stayed crouched there unsteadily, his knees having almost buckled, staring in disbelief at the vast emptiness of the trees that stood behind where the Mothership had been merely seconds before. Rufus seemed to have frozen too, in a state of shocked silence. Then Wyatt slowly straightened up, terrified, as he realised that Lucy wasn't going to carry on screaming his name, and she wasn't going to appear gleefully around the corner having managed to escape from Flynn's clutches. She was gone.

'Lucy,' he whispered, and he buried his face in his hands as he let the despair wash over him.

After Jessica's death, Wyatt had never thought that he would ever experience that feeling of sheer terror and anguish ever again, because he had simply thought he would never care for someone just as deeply. But now, tonight, with Lucy having been taken from him, Wyatt was forced to realise that he had been very wrong indeed.


	15. The Murder Castle

**This chapter covers 1x11 :)**

* * *

A few seconds passed by in which the whole world seemed to fall apart before them, and then Wyatt turned urgently to his companion.

'Rufus. _Rufus_!' he snapped, shaking him.

Rufus seemed to be in a paralysed state of shock. This was worse than the time when they had nearly been permanently stranded in 1754. At least then the three of them had all been together.

'What do we do?' Wyatt asked, panicked.

It was a question Rufus had never heard Wyatt ask before, and it frightened him to see his remaining team member looking so completely lost, so helpless and tormented.

Wyatt pointed his arm out angrily at the space where the Mothership had been stood moments before. 'He has her!'

'I-I know-'

'No, Rufus, he has Lucy! Flynn has her!' Wyatt shouted, almost hysterically. 'We've got to _do_ something-!'

'Yeah, we have to go back to the Lifeboat,' Rufus said, a tremor in his voice, but Wyatt scowled at him as if this suggestion were the worst thing he had ever heard.

'It'll take us hours to find our way back-!'

'Well what else do you suggest?' Rufus demanded, equally as furious. 'There's nothing we can do for her now, we don't know where Flynn's taken her or why-'

'DAMN IT!' Wyatt yelled out into the night, his hands in his hair as he paced around the empty field angrily. 'How the hell did this happen?!'

'We shouldn't have split up, we should have all stuck together-'

'It was her stupid idea in the first place for us to split up!' Wyatt cut over Rufus, livid. 'God, Lucy-'

'Really?' Rufus yelled sceptically. 'Having a go at her when Flynn has literally just kidnapped her to God knows where-'

Wyatt let out a loud groan, his face in his hands; he was losing it. 'Ugh, where the hell would he have taken her?!'

'The only way we can find out is if we go back to the Lifeboat,' Rufus insisted, 'we can't just stand here shouting about it-'

'Then let's _move_! We need to steal some horses, come on!' Wyatt said urgently, and he seized Rufus by the arm and led them away from the field.

They managed to find a group of horses in some stables not too far Rittenhouse's estate; they grabbed two by their reins and jumped onto them immediately before riding out in desperation back to the secluded area of woodland where they had left the Lifeboat, near to Benedict Arnold's house. It was an unbearably long ride – hours went by, and Wyatt refused to stop for food or sleep or any kind of break whatsoever. The sooner they got back to the Lifeboat, the sooner they'd be able to trace the Mothership's whereabouts…and then they would be able to find Lucy.

 _Oh, Lucy._

He was haunted by the sound of her voice screaming his name repeatedly, pleading him to come and save her, and how he had failed her… _'WYATT!'… 'LUCY!'… 'WYATT!'_ … Over and over again, one continuous circle of pain and longing and terror, calling out each other's names in agony without knowing where the other one was and if or when they would see each other again. No, Wyatt knew he mustn't think like that. Of course they would see each other again. He and Rufus would rescue Lucy, there was no doubt about it. After all, that was what their team was good at – saving each other.

It was a relief when they finally reached the Lifeboat. Rufus set up the controls for them to set off before they had even properly strapped themselves in. As the rumbling ship shook them while they travelled, Wyatt found himself staring despairingly at the empty seat opposite him, the seatbelts hanging loosely and unoccupied. Lucy should have been sat there – she would have been scrunching her eyes up in fear as she did every time they travelled, and Wyatt would have buckled her in as he always did. The sight of that seat now felt so wrong, so empty, so lonely. Wyatt wiped the stray tear from his eye just as the capsule door opened to reveal the familiar operations lab of Mason Industries.

He leapt out onto the metal steps immediately. 'Where's Flynn?' he called out to the staff, panicked.

'Why, what's going on?' Agent Christopher said urgently, striding forwards.

'He got Lucy,' Wyatt replied, hurrying down the steps and walking past her.

'What are you talking about? What do you mean, he got Lucy?' Agent Christopher asked, frowning, but Wyatt ignored her, and stormed determinedly up to Jiya's desk.

'Where's the Mothership?' he demanded.

Jiya took one look at his expression and sat down at once to search on her computer. 'U-um…' She trailed off and frowned, looking deeply confused. 'It's all over the place.'

Wyatt sighed impatiently and leaned his two hands on the desk. 'What the hell does that mean, Jiya?'

Jiya was alarmed by the tone of Wyatt's voice, not to mention the frightening expression on his face – his eyes were huge, his face contorted in rage and fear. She had never seen Wyatt look so afraid or so distressed – and that was saying something, considering all the traumatic life-threatening missions they had come back from.

'Flynn jumped to Sacramento, present day. He was there for maybe an hour...' Jiya said, reading out the results, and Wyatt looked down despairingly, overcome with dizziness and fear. 'And then he jumped _again_ to New York, 1780. I don't get it.'

She looked anxiously up at Wyatt, who was breathing heavily, still panting from his and Rufus's speedy horse ride back to the Lifeboat, and clutching hold of the desk as if he might faint. His lips were trembling.

'Well, how does Flynn jump so fast and so many times in a row?' Agent Christopher asked, frowning.

'The nuke,' Rufus replied heavily. 'The one he got in Vegas – if he's using it as a battery, the way we think he is…'

'And what the hell is he doing-?'

But Connor Mason cut over Agent Christopher agitatedly. 'No – what _happened_ to Lucy?' he demanded.

'We lost track of her,' Wyatt replied helplessly, rounding on Mason, and his face was full of anguish. 'I lost track of her, Flynn got her.'

Agent Christopher and Mason exchanged a dark look before turning back to Wyatt. His breathing was out of control and his hands were shaking.

'Okay, everyone stay calm,' Agent Christopher said slowly, trying to hide just how worried she was. 'We know where the Mothership is, and that's where we'll find Lucy. Once the Lifeboat is charged, you two can go after them, if you're feeling up to it-'

'Sorry, if we're "feeling up to it"?' Wyatt said incredulously. 'This is Lucy we're talking about here!'

'And you and Rufus have been out there on a mission for nearly two days straight without any rest,' Agent Christopher pointed out, indignant. 'You're sleep-deprived, and you're emotionally compromised, your head's not in the game.'

'I'm not emotionally compromised-' Wyatt said through gritted teeth, but Agent Christopher interrupted him sharply.

'With respect, Master Sergeant Logan, you are sweating and clearly on the verge of a breakdown,' she said, and Wyatt turned away from her angrily, clenching his fists. 'Now it's perfectly understandable, you've just lost a co-worker-'

'She's not just a co-worker, she's our friend, she's our family!' Wyatt said furiously, facing her with a fiery look in his eyes. 'This is so much more than the damn mission now, Agent Christopher, and we haven't lost her, we _know_ where she is right now, we just need to get back in there and get her back before it's too late-'

'You won't be going _anywhere_ until the Lifeboat is charged!' Agent Christopher snapped. 'And while we wait, I suggest you both get some sleep. You'll need it.'

Wyatt scoffed. 'You really think I'm going to be able to sleep knowing Lucy is… _somewhere_ out there, all on her own and unprotected, being held hostage by Garcia Flynn?' he said sceptically.

But Agent Christopher was glaring at him. 'That's an order, Wyatt.'

He scowled at her for a moment, then slammed his fist down on Jiya's desk, swearing loudly in frustration before storming away. Rufus, who was also visibly upset, tried going after him, but Wyatt shrugged him off.

'Let him go,' Mason said to Rufus, and they watched sympathetically as Wyatt angrily left the operations lab.

For the next hour or so, Wyatt tried to sleep, but couldn't – he was too agitated, too worried, too scared, too angry. It didn't help that he was trying to sleep in the waiting room in which he had first met Lucy. He could picture her now sat in her grey cardigan opposite him, innocent and confused and blissfully ignorant to the pain, trauma, grief and danger this mysterious trip to Mason Industries would cause her.

' _You know, we're pretty much the same age, so…you can just stop calling me "ma'am".'_

Wyatt smiled at the memory, at her stony expression, the way her eyes had quickly looked him up and down…that had been so long ago now. So much had changed. He never would have thought back then that he would become so fiercely protective of this annoying, nosy woman who wouldn't stop talking, that he would grow to even care for her. He had never wanted to care about anyone ever again, not after Jessica. He hadn't even cared about himself. But now Lucy and Rufus…their team…this assignment had marked a milestone in Wyatt's life, a time in which he had decided that maybe he should care after all, maybe there was something worth living for. He had Lucy to thank for that, but she was not here, she had been stolen away from a man who Wyatt loathed like no other…and Wyatt knew now that he would go to any lengths necessary to get her back. Stopping Flynn and getting the Mothership back was inconsequential. There was no mission now other than to save Lucy and bring her back to where she belonged.

Unable to cope with his hopeless, dark thoughts any longer, Wyatt jumped up from the armchair and left the waiting room. He arrived in the operations lab just as a familiar alarm blared out – the alarm that indicated the Mothership had travelled – and he hurried over to Jiya, Rufus and Agent Christopher at once.

'Flynn just jumped again?' he asked Jiya, hurrying up to her desk.

'Uh, yeah, to Illinois this time. May the 30th, 1893,' Jiya replied.

'It's the month the Chicago World's Fair opened,' Rufus explained, typing away on his own computer.

Agent Christopher frowned. 'Why would he go there?'

'I don't know. We're kind of short a historian,' Rufus replied awkwardly, scratching his head.

'Not for long,' Wyatt said determinedly, a tremor in his voice, and he turned to leave. 'Let's go, Rufus.'

'The Lifeboat's still charging,' Jiya said to him anxiously.

Wyatt's nostrils flared as he turned slowly back to her. 'You got to be kidding me,' he said in a low, dangerous voice, and Jiya stared at him. 'How long till it's charged?'

Jiya turned reluctantly back to her computer, and hesitated. 'Four hours,' she replied.

Wyatt froze for a moment, and he wondered why everyone else seemed so calm, why people weren't screaming and running around crying out for Lucy, trying to work out the fastest possible way they could get to her. It seemed he was on his own in that regard – internally, at least. _Four hours._ Wyatt nodded agitatedly at Jiya, but didn't dare speak because he knew if he did he would end up shouting and swearing again and possibly even smashing the computers to bits. Grinding his knuckles, he turned on his heel and strutted out of the room; Rufus and Jiya watched him go, their eyes full of pity.

'I've never seen him like this before,' Rufus murmured, as they turned back to their computers.

Jiya nodded in agreement, raising her eyebrows. 'I didn't even know he cared that much.'

'It's Lucy,' Rufus murmured softly in explanation.

Jiya sighed. 'Yeah, it's Lucy.'

The next few hours went by excruciatingly slowly, and Wyatt was left to the turmoil of his own tormented mind constructing various scenarios in which Flynn was hurting or using Lucy for whatever sick plan he had in store for the Chicago World's Fair. Eventually, _finally_ , Wyatt headed to the wardrobe dock to get dressed so that he would be ready for 1893, hoping desperately that Flynn wouldn't take Lucy anywhere else before they were able to catch up with them. Even choosing something to wear caused a lump in his throat; he and Lucy had got into the habit of helping each other pick out their outfits.

He felt so helpless. His hands fumbled with his tie as he got dressed. What if they were too late? What if Flynn had done something to Lucy?

'Hey, are you okay?'

Wyatt turned around. It was Jiya; he'd heard her comforting Rufus in the other changing room nearby. He had never really spoken much to Jiya, not outside of the mission briefings anyway. She was nice, and they certainly owed her for preventing them from being stranded in the past – not to mention Wyatt himself owed her an apology for his rude, angry attitude towards her earlier – but Wyatt wasn't sure a heart-to-heart was what he needed right now.

'I'm fine,' he mumbled, turning back to fix his tie.

'Flynn won't hurt her, you know,' Jiya said, and Wyatt closed his eyes. 'He took her for a reason. He's clearly just using her for her knowledge.'

'And then when he doesn't need that knowledge anymore?' Wyatt pointed out, turning back to look at her. 'He's done pretty well on his own so far.'

Jiya hesitated, unsure what to say. 'I think she'll be okay. And she knows you'll be looking for her.'

'Does she?' Wyatt murmured helplessly, and he sighed. 'We can't do this without her. I can't...And Lucy, she doesn't even know how much I...'

'How much you what?' Jiya prompted gently.

Wyatt swallowed. 'We care about her. She's one of us,' he said fiercely. 'She should be here, but because _I_ messed up, she's been kidnapped by a terrorist.'

'I know for a fact from what Rufus said that it wasn't because you messed up,' Jiya said, frowning.

'Well it sure as hell feels like it,' Wyatt snapped, putting on the jacket he'd chosen. 'Is the Lifeboat ready yet?'

'It'll be another hour,' Jiya replied reluctantly.

'God DAMMIT!' Wyatt shouted without thinking, punching the dressing table, and Jiya flinched. 'I'm…I'm sorry, Jiya, I don't mean to…I'm just-'

'I know,' Jiya said in a comforting tone, trying to reassure him. 'It's okay, really. Just hang on, all right? It won't be long now, and she'll be back. You'll see.'

Wyatt tried to focus on Jiya's hopeful words for the next sixty minutes – it was the only thing to stop him from rampaging around the building – and it came as a huge relief when Mason announced at last that the Lifeboat was ready to travel again. However, it also frightened Wyatt – going out in the Lifeboat after Flynn meant that they would come closer to finding out what had happened to Lucy, and a part of him was afraid about that.

'What do we know about this fair?' Wyatt asked Rufus, as they reconvened in the operations lab.

'Lot of stuff was invented there,' Rufus said, looking over the details on his tablet. 'Cream of Wheat, Hershey's chocolate, Aunt Jemima – how is that still a thing, by the way?'

'Rufus,' Wyatt interrupted him patiently.

'Uh, Teddy Roosevelt was there, Thomas Edison, Susan B. Anthony, Helen Keller…not that I think Flynn's gonna take out Helen Keller,' Rufus said nervously as they walked down the corridor towards the Lifeboat, and Wyatt frowned at him. 'Sorry, I-I ramble a lot when I'm stressed.'

'Okay, we start with Roosevelt,' Wyatt said decisively, straightening up the sleeves of his jacket. 'If we find Flynn, we find Lucy.'

'We sure he's going after Roosevelt?' Rufus asked doubtfully.

'No,' Wyatt replied, an irritated tone to his voice, as he rounded on Rufus. 'But he's gonna be president in eight years, so that's the best I got.'

Rufus hesitated for a moment. 'Wyatt?' he said, his voice gentle, as he grabbed Wyatt by the arm; Wyatt turned back to face him, and Rufus tried to give him a reassuring smile. 'We're gonna get her back.'

Wyatt stared back at him for a moment, his expression blank, and gave a little shaky nod, his eyes flickering away out of fear that Rufus would see just how desperately Wyatt wanted to believe what Rufus had just said. He was shocked by how Lucy's kidnapping had affected him, and by how everyone in the building could see it. He was a changed man, and all because of Lucy. And it terrified him.

* * *

Wyatt and Rufus didn't have much chance to explore the Chicago World's Fair when they arrived in 1893, for they immediately spotted sight of one of Flynn's henchmen, and followed him to a building that turned out to be World's Fair Hotel. Their sense of urgency grew as they headed upstairs to the rooms of the hotel, and when they lost sight of the henchman, Wyatt could feel his anxiety reaching breaking point.

'Think Lucy's here somewhere?' Rufus asked, as they glanced around the gloomy corridor.

'I'm not leaving till we find out for sure,' Wyatt said firmly, a suspicious frown set on his face.

The two men split up to search around the hotel for any clues to Flynn's whereabouts, and when Wyatt bumped into an architect called Sophia, who was a guest here at this hotel, he immediately seized the opportunity to ask her if she had seen his missing friend. He described Lucy only as being a woman with dark hair and brown eyes, because if he went into detail about her rosy lips, her sharp cheekbones, her long eyelashes, the way her eyes seemed to look into your very soul, the way the front strands of her hair shaped her face…well, he wasn't sure a passing civilian would be able to spot that. But Wyatt saw it, so very clearly, strangely even more so now that she had been taken from him.

He and Sophia were unable to finish discussing the mystery of Lucy's whereabouts, however, for they were then locked in a room and knocked out by some sort of gas. When Wyatt regained consciousness, he sat up to find that he was in a chamber of some kind, along with Rufus, Sophia, and another hotel guest by the name of George. Through a quick examination of the brick walls and heavy door that was bolted shut, Wyatt reached the same conclusion that the other three prisoners had – they were trapped here. They tried banging on the walls and shouting for help but the chamber was soundproofed and airtight. George revealed that he had been there for a couple of hours already, and there was no way out. Even more disconcerting was the sight of the metal chains on the walls and floor; someone had specifically built this chamber to trap people in, to torture them for fun. And Wyatt knew just the person who would be a fan of this idea.

He strode over to Rufus. 'He lured us here. Flynn knew about this place, and he led us straight here. God knows what he's doing with Lucy,' he said in a hushed voice, terrified.

'She could be here too, for all we know,' Rufus pointed out fearfully.

Wyatt stared at Rufus, horror-struck. He tried to fight the image of Lucy trapped in another chamber all on her own, but it was no good…and he felt like he might throw up.

They had no more than four hours less of oxygen, and no way of escape. But the unknown of what had happened to Lucy scared Wyatt much more than the prospect of dying in this chamber. As Wyatt tried but failed to find a way to get through the locked door while the rest waited for the inevitable, all of them sweating yet also shivering, Sophia was hit with the realisation of what was going to happen…and her eyes widened in dread.

'We are going to die here,' she said slowly, and she seemed surprisingly calm as the fear washed over her. 'My father will never know what happened. It'll just be like I dropped off the face of the Earth.'

Wyatt turned around from the door and slowly walked up to her. 'I know what that's like…to have someone missing. Not knowing, always wondering. That's the worst part,' he said, and in that moment he wasn't sure whether he was talking more about Jessica or Lucy, and it shook him. 'But I'm not gonna let that happen. You understand me?'

He was determined to get out of this hellhole. To find Lucy. To save her and bring her back to 2017. And so with a few words of encouragement and wisdom, he managed to get Sophia to use her architectural skills and knowledge to re-examine the chamber. By some miracle, Sophia located one of the concrete bricks on the wall that was deteriorating; Wyatt used one of her pins to try and make a small hole in the brick, in the hope that someone might be able to hear them.

When he finally managed to make a hole, a tiny stream of light began to shine through. A glimmer of hope.

Wyatt pressed his face against the wall and immediately began to shout through the hole. 'Hello? Can anyone hear me? Is anyone out there? Can anyone hear me?'

He stopped for breath – the increasing lack of air in this chamber was making it difficult for him to shout continuously – and then continued.

'Hello? Can anyone hear me? Hello?' he yelled desperately, panting.

Wary and close to giving up, Rufus, Sophia and George all watched him and waited with baited breath, but there was no response from outside. This chamber must have been hidden well away from the other guests and members of staff. No one was there.

'Can anyone hear me? Is anyone out there?' Wyatt went on, out of breath and exhausted and resigned to accept his fate. 'Hello? Can anyone hear me?'

Dismayed, he fell silent, knowing his efforts were pointless. There was no one out there to rescue them, and he had failed in his one main goal to save Lucy. He had been defeated.

And then he heard a muffled voice from the other side of the wall. 'Wyatt? Is that you?'

Wyatt felt his heart skip a beat.

Rufus frowned. 'Is that Lucy?'

'Lucy?!' Wyatt called, his voice strained, hardly daring to hope.

'Is-is Rufus with you?' It was definitely her.

Rufus rushed forwards. 'Hey! I am!' he said, beaming, and he glanced at Wyatt to see that Wyatt's face was positively alight with joy.

'Man, is it good to hear your voice,' Wyatt said longingly, half-laughing and almost choking back tears. He couldn't stop smiling.

She was all right. She was alive. She was safe. That was all that mattered.

'You too,' Lucy murmured, sounding relieved. 'Are you okay?'

'Can you get us out of here?' Wyatt asked desperately.

He heard another voice – a man's – on the other side of the wall. 'Now _this_ …I can do.'

Wyatt frowned. 'You with someone?' he asked loudly, trying not to sound too jealous or possessive.

'Yes, I-I brought Harry Houdini with me,' Lucy replied, and Wyatt frowned.

'Did Lucy just say she brought Harry Houdini?' Rufus asked, exchanging a look of disbelief with Wyatt.

'Who's Harry Houdini? Sophia asked, nonplussed.

But before Wyatt or Rufus could answer her, there was the sound of a lock clicking and then the door to the chamber swung open. A rather short man was stood in the doorway, but Wyatt hardly noticed him, for there behind him was Lucy, hurrying directly to him with her arms already outstretched, dishevelled-looking and pale and exhausted but there, really _there_ –

Wyatt ran to her and took her into his arms, pulling her tightly to him and cradling her head. 'Thank God you're all right,' he murmured in her ear, his hand on her neck.

Lucy felt like she might cry from sheer joy and relief as she hugged him back tightly. It had seemed so long since she had seen him, so long since that terrifying night at David Rittenhouse's estate. But now all that pain and fear and anguish that had plagued both Lucy and Wyatt since their separation seemed to have vanished as they embraced.

'I'm okay,' Lucy reassured him with a giddy sort of smile as they broke apart.

They looked at each other breathlessly, drinking in the sight of each other, unable to tear their eyes away, their smiles uncontrollable. Wyatt was impressed to see that Flynn had managed to provide Lucy with an appropriate dress, and her hair was piled on top of her head, with loose curls falling to shape that perfect face of hers. Looking him up and down, Lucy noticed that Wyatt's forehead was glistening with sweat and he looked exhausted, but unusually happy, and he gave her an embarrassed sort of grin. They had never hugged before. It seemed silly really, after everything they had been through together, and particularly after their evening at Bonnie and Clyde's cabin…but Wyatt had never really been the touchy-feely type. Until now, at least.

'Where's Flynn?' Wyatt then asked her urgently, still breathing deeply.

Lucy shook her head helplessly. 'He's locked in an office somewhere, thanks to…Harry here,' she replied, casting their saviour an appreciative look, and then she held out a small old-fashioned handbag to Wyatt. 'Brought you a present.'

Wyatt grinned at her as he pulled out two pistol guns from the bag, and Lucy laughed, hardly daring to believe that she had managed to reunite with her team at last, before turning joyfully to throw her arms around Rufus. Rufus introduced her to the other two hotel guests, and then they all hurriedly made their way out of the chamber. Before they exited the room, Wyatt held Lucy back for a moment.

'Lucy. We're not done here yet,' he said ominously, fuming.

Lucy knew instantly what he meant. 'It's the manager, H. H. Holmes,' she said heavily, after a slight hesitation. 'He built all these…death traps in the hotel.'

'Wait, you're actually telling me?' Wyatt asked sceptically, surprised, and his lips twitched. 'What ever happened to preserving history?'

'You and Rufus could have died in here because of that bastard, so screw it,' Lucy said firmly, and they smiled at each other. 'Let's go get him.'

They went to the reception where they interrogated the hotel caretaker, Pat Quinlan, and Lucy tried desperately not to be so attracted to Wyatt's fury as he shook the caretaker angrily. Wyatt escorted Quinlan upstairs to investigate H. H. Holmes' office, leaving Lucy to contact the police, but merely a minute after parting from her, he heard Lucy's distant screaming of his name – a sound that was becoming horribly familiar to him now.

'WYATT!'

 _No. Not again._

Wyatt raced downstairs to find Rufus, Sophia and Houdini looking around the empty reception room in horror. Lucy had been stood right there, just seconds ago.

'What? What happened? Where's Lucy?' Wyatt demanded, panicked.

'I-I don't know, she was just here-' Rufus began helplessly, his voice shaking, but Wyatt cut over him with a roar that made Sophia and Houdini jump backwards.

'Are you kidding me?!'

'I thought she was with _you_ , Wyatt, why the hell did you leave her?!' Rufus shouted accusingly, and Wyatt covered his face with his hands in despair. 'Flynn can't have got her again, she said he was locked up-'

'It's Holmes. We need to find him,' Wyatt said urgently, and he and Rufus rushed upstairs to search Holmes' office; when they found it to be empty, Wyatt turned sharply to Quinlan. 'Where is he actually, then?'

'I can't be sure,' Quinlan replied in a small voice.

'Do not tell me that you don't know what's been going on at this hotel,' Wyatt said in a dangerously low voice.

Quinlan grimaced. 'I don't want to know.'

At this, Wyatt slammed him roughly against the wall and drew out his gun, pointing it directly at the caretakers' head. 'WHERE WOULD HE TAKE HER?' he demanded, furious.

Wyatt's mind was set. He was going to find Lucy, whatever it took, and he was not going to let Lucy be taken from him again. Never.

* * *

' _Maybe you don't care about yourself, but you do care about Wyatt and Rufus, don't you? I've sent your friends to the, ah, World's Fair Hotel.'_

' _You son of a bitch.'_

' _You can still save your friends, Lucy. The sooner you help me, the sooner you can get back to them, hopefully in time.'_

Lucy opened her eyes. Her head was aching from where the hotel guest, George – or rather, the _real_ H. H. Holmes – had knocked her out in the hotel reception to silence her screams. She could hardly see or breathe. It took a minute for her senses to adjust for her to then realise that she was in some kind of box. She could hear Holmes pacing the room outside, muttering agitatedly to himself.

She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. She was trapped in here.

Tears cascading down her face, Lucy began to pound on the walls, pleading with Holmes for him to let her out, but he would not. He was going to kill her.

 _Wyatt. Help._

Panicking hysterically, Lucy continued to bang on the walls and cry, but it was no use. Wyatt had gone upstairs with the caretaker, and there was no telling where she even was. She had been so terrified about Wyatt and Rufus being tortured and killed in this building when Flynn had revealed his plan that she hadn't even considered the possibility that it could happen to her too.

'Escape. Fear isn't real,' Lucy whispered to herself repeatedly, trying to find inspiration in Harry Houdini's words to her from earlier.

 _Figure out what you're fighting for._

And then, struck by an inspiration, Lucy began to talk calmly to Holmes from inside the box under the pretence of being a psychic – after all, she knew from her extensive reading that Holmes was a spiritualist, so she began to tell him personal details about himself – his real name, his family, his long list of women whom he had loved and killed…anything to make him pause, to buy enough time for Wyatt and Rufus to find her.

When Flynn had seized her by the wrist and taken her away in the Mothership, Lucy had known deep down that Wyatt and Rufus would have come after them. She'd had faith that they had been working as hard as they could from the moment she'd disappeared for them to rescue her. She had to believe that they would be doing that again now. Lucy had seen the look on Wyatt's face when the door to the chamber had opened and he'd clasped eyes on her; she knew he would stop at nothing until she was safe. And so it was this thought that kept her going.

'I can help you. If you let me out of here, I promise I will help you achieve great wealth and live a long and happy life,' Lucy went on to Holmes, trying to stop herself from shaking as she stared at the ceiling of the box mere inches from her face. 'Isn't that what you want, Herman? Money, power…I can help you get them all.'

And then she heard a door crash open.

'Don't move!' Wyatt's voice ordered.

'Wyatt, I'm in here!' Lucy cried out desperately, pounding the walls, and she began to sob in relief.

'Rufus, get her out.'

Wyatt pointed his gun furiously at Holmes as Rufus dashed over to Lucy's aid. Wyatt hated the sound of Lucy's crying…her terror. It made him sick to the stomach.

'Get me out of here!' she shrieked, and Wyatt felt his nostrils flare as he scowled at the pitiful monstrous excuse of a human being stood before him.

Within seconds Rufus had released Lucy from the box and pulled her out; her knees buckled and Rufus put his arms around her to help her stand up straight as they went back over to Wyatt's side. Wyatt glanced at Lucy's face, streaked with tears, and as her breathing came out in panicked gasps, Wyatt confronted Holmes. Holmes tried to persuade Wyatt to refrain from killing him, claiming that he would get justice for the families of his victims by confessing his crimes, but Lucy knew this not to be true, so Wyatt shot Holmes. Taking a moment to stare down at Holmes' dead body, Wyatt then turned to face Lucy, who Rufus was still holding.

'Lucy, are you all right?' Wyatt asked, rushing to her side and putting a hand on her shoulder, and Rufus slowly released his hold of her.

'I-I…' She trailed off, the tears still falling, and she collapsed into Wyatt's waiting arms.

She was shaking violently. Wyatt glanced over her shoulder at the box Holmes had trapped her in, and he felt his blood boil. It was so narrow, so small. The worst nightmare of any claustrophobic. He gripped her tightly to him as she buried her head in his chest, sobbing.

Wyatt then reached down and cupped Lucy's face firmly. 'I swear to God, I am not letting you out of my sight from now on,' he said fiercely, almost choking up himself as he gently wiped her tears away with his thumbs, and a soft laugh escaped Lucy's mouth as she gazed back at him through tear-filled eyes before moving back into his comforting embrace.

Once Lucy had calmed down and her tears had been wiped away, Wyatt and Rufus then escorted her upstairs from Holmes' terrifying basement of horror, where Sophia and Houdini were waiting for them anxiously. When they explained what had happened and contacted the police, it was then time to bid their new friends farewell.

'Thank you,' Sophia said earnestly to Wyatt, clearly bewitched by his good looks and charm.

Wyatt smiled warmly at her. 'Just make sure you get home to your dad, all right?' he said softly, and Lucy's lips twitched as she watched them both carefully, trying not to register her twinge of jealousy…although Wyatt got his own fair share of that when Houdini approached Lucy to say goodbye.

'Sure you can't come with me?' Houdini asked her, and Wyatt rolled his eyes irritably; would they ever be able to go to any time period in the past where Lucy wouldn't get hit on? 'We make a great team. And I could sure use an assistant.'

But Lucy merely smiled at him. 'You'll find a better one soon,' she reassured Houdini, to Wyatt's relief.

Lucy was still smiling once their two companions had left the hotel, her eyes fixed on Wyatt, and she then cleared her throat. 'For the record, um…I knew you guys were gonna save me,' she said softly.

Wyatt inclined his head at her. 'Well, you know, technically, I think… _you_ saved _us_ ,' he pointed out, his lips twitching.

'Well, technically…yeah, you're right,' Lucy admitted humbly, and as Rufus laughed, she smirked at Wyatt, who was grinning admiringly at her. 'Not bad for a civilian, right?'

'No, not bad at all,' Wyatt agreed playfully, a devastatingly flirtatious smile on his face.

Rufus gazed at them both in amazement, wishing they would stop checking each other out with those very obvious looks and just get on with it.

'Look at that,' Rufus said, dazed and happy, as the three of them made their way towards the hotel exit. 'We got the team back.'

On their way back to the Lifeboat, Lucy explained to Wyatt and Rufus that Flynn had kept her in his hideout to conduct research on the whereabouts of John Rittenhouse, who had incidentally gone into hiding, before bringing her here to 1893 to help him kill Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and J. P. Morgan. He had failed in this mission thanks to Harry Houdini's clever intervention…although once Lucy and the others had returned to the Lifeboat to check the tracking system, they were disheartened to see that Flynn must have escaped from the police – the Mothership had gone back to present day, and he had got away. They were determined to maintain optimistic though – all three of them had survived multiple near-death experiences today, and they were finally back together. What Flynn was doing right now hardly seemed to matter anymore.

'I never thought I'd say it, but I'm actually glad to be back in this thing,' Lucy said brightly, resting her head on her seat as she looked around the Lifeboat.

'Me too. Feels good to do this again,' Wyatt said, flashing her a warm smile as he buckled her into her seat.

Lucy smiled. 'Thank you, guys. For coming to get me,' she murmured, overwhelmed with love and fondness for her two best friends, and Wyatt tilted his head to gaze tenderly at her.

'We wouldn't have stopped until we had you back with us,' he said gently, and as Rufus started up the engine, Wyatt intertwined his fingers with hers.


	16. Camping in the Wild West

**The next two chapters cover some missing moments at the end of 1x11, and 1x12 :)**

* * *

Wyatt spent a while in the shower once they had got back to Mason Industries, lost in a daydream as he washed away the blood and sweat. He could feel his whole body relaxing as the tension just eased away, the worry and fear that had taken over him finally released.

 _We've got her back. She's okay._

Lucy had filled Wyatt's mind for the past twenty-four hours, but even now, despite her being back in the present day and safe, he didn't seem able to stop thinking about her. Whenever he tried to distract himself with something else, somehow his thoughts always seemed to stray back to her. It didn't help that she was everywhere he went in the building as well, whether it was the kitchen getting food or the wardrobe dock changing back into their modern-day clothes.

He knew what he needed to say to her, but it was only when Lucy was preparing to leave after a private meeting with Agent Christopher in the main office, that Wyatt found himself able to approach her. The guilt and confusion had been eating him up inside for too long already, and he needed to put it to rest.

Lucy looked up at him and smiled as he entered. 'Hey, Wyatt,' she said quietly, stifling a yawn.

'How are you doing?' Wyatt asked, shutting the door behind him.

'I've…been better,' Lucy replied thoughtfully, shrugging. 'But it feels great to be back here.'

Wyatt looked around through the glass windows to make sure they were alone and not about to be interrupted, and took a step forwards to her. 'Lucy…about the other night, when Flynn took you…'

He trailed off, unsure how to go on, and found himself stunned into silence as he gazed at Lucy, who had risen from her seat. She was ghostly white, with dark rings under her eyes and pale lips, and yet her washed-out complexion erased none of her beauty.

'I-I should have been there,' Wyatt went on heavily. 'I was too slow, I didn't get to you in time, and…I can't apologise enough.'

Lucy felt the warmth flood through her at his words, and it took her every bit of effort not to smile or blush like a giddy lovestruck teenager. She had never blamed him for a second for what had happened with Flynn, because she'd known all along he would come after her. But she had never expected him to seem so deeply troubled by it, and it touched her.

'Don't beat yourself up about it,' she said to him, trying to play it casual. 'I was okay. Flynn was never gonna…harm me. Not much. I was an asset, I was valuable.'

'You _are_ valuable. But not just as some…walking encyclopedia of historical facts,' Wyatt said firmly, and Lucy looked up from her handbag in surprise to see him gazing at her earnestly, trying to make her see just how important she was to him, and she smiled.

'I appreciate that. But…please, don't feel bad. There was nothing you could have done, I was the one that got Flynn all rattled up to kidnap me in the first place, it wasn't your fault. Please, Wyatt,' Lucy murmured, and she walked up to him and tilted her head at him. 'You let guilt rule over your life too much already.'

Wyatt smiled sadly. 'Maybe that's true. But it's for good reason. When you were gone, when he took you, and…I…that was one of the longest days of my life, and I don't mind admitting it. I failed you,' he muttered, looking down ashamedly at his feet, and Lucy raised her eyebrows at him, stunned.

'Easy, Mr Melodramatic, what did I literally just tell you?' she said, half-laughing, and she put a comforting hand on his shoulder. 'You're not to blame. And I'm fine. You're fine, Rufus is fine. We're all safe. For now. And hey, you saved me in that damn basement. Take the win, huh?'

Wyatt hesitated, but when he took in her hopeful expression, he couldn't help but smile back. 'Okay,' he said grudgingly. 'If you say so.'

'I _do_ say so,' Lucy insisted, and she flung her handbag over her shoulder. 'Anyway, I don't know about you but I'm gonna go home and sleep for about forty-eight hours. Can't wait.'

She made to walk past him, but Wyatt stayed where he stood, unwilling to move, an uncomfortable look on his face. Lucy frowned, wondering why he was avoiding her gaze, why he wasn't letting her pass. What had come over this man?

'Wyatt, what is it?' she asked softly.

'I just…' Wyatt swallowed. 'Well, with Rittenhouse and Flynn, and everything that's going on…not to mention you being kidnapped twice since you were last here…it's dangerous for you be out there on your own.'

'You saying you wanna be my bodyguard? Stalk me twenty-four seven?' Lucy asked sceptically, smirking.

'I'm not saying that,' Wyatt said, grinning, 'I know you can take care of yourself, but still…'

'No, I know. But I'm not going to just stay indoors or…or surround myself with people to protect me all the time. If I do that, then that means they've won. And I'm not going to let Rittenhouse or Flynn ruin my life any more than they already have done,' Lucy said determinedly, breathing deeply as she thought back to all the pain they had caused her.

Wyatt considered her words for a moment and then smiled. 'Well said.'

'Wyatt, I'm not going anywhere,' Lucy murmured gently. 'I'll either be at home or in this building. No one's gonna take me away again.'

'How can you be sure?' Wyatt said in a small voice.

There was a short silence, and as Lucy took in Wyatt's sorrowful expression that she had never seen before, she slowly took a few steps towards him. Her hand reached out for his and at the touch of her fingers, Wyatt looked up from his feet to gaze at her…her face so close to his…

And then the office door opened – it was Rufus. He froze as he watched Lucy and Wyatt let go of each other's hands and back away from each other at once.

'Sorry, guys,' Rufus said with a grimace. 'Just came to say goodnight, and…well, see you in a few days if I ever wake up from the amazing sleep I'm about to have.'

Lucy forced a smile. 'I have the exact same plan, Rufus,' she said, giving Wyatt a nervous glance before walking past him to join Rufus by the doorway. 'I'll see you guys later.'

'Take care of yourself, all right?' Wyatt said, watching her with a crease on his forehead, and Lucy smirked, touched by his concern.

'Yes, sir.'

She had only walked down the length of the corridor when the hurrying footsteps behind told her that Wyatt had followed.

'Hey, Lucy, wait up!' he said, catching up with her, and Lucy turned around to face him with a bemused smile on her face. 'I just had an idea.'

'Go on.'

Wyatt took a deep breath. 'Self-defence classes.'

'Great minds think alike,' Lucy said, surprised. 'I was actually thinking of going to see if I could sign up for one in the area. Can't have some guy able to just carry me off again like Flynn did.'

'Don't sign up for one,' Wyatt said at once, and his cheeks went slightly red as she frowned at him, confused. 'I actually thought…maybe I could teach you.'

'Y-you could?' Lucy said, her heart rate increasing.

'Well yeah, who better to teach you self-defence than a soldier with the Delta Force?' Wyatt pointed out, his lips twitching. 'Maybe just a few times a week or something, here at Mason Industries, y'know. I can go through the basic moves with you.'

'What's your hourly rate?' Lucy asked jokingly.

Wyatt rolled his eyes. 'Obviously it would be free.'

Lucy considered him for a moment, realising how serious he was, and she sighed anxiously. 'Wyatt, I can't let you give up your free time on trying to help me fight, it's a hopeless cause anyway, you know how much of a clutz I am, it would be a waste of your-'

'I'd rather be doing nothing else,' Wyatt interrupted her firmly, fixing her with that irresistible gaze of his. 'And have a little faith in yourself, you'll be better than you think.'

Lucy grimaced, torn. 'I-I don't know…' she murmured, and Wyatt frowned.

'What's to think about?'

'I'll make a fool of myself,' Lucy replied, laughing.

Wyatt looked exasperated. 'C'mon. It's me, Lucy.'

'Exactly,' Lucy replied without thinking.

There was a pause.

'What…what does that mean?' Wyatt asked tentatively, tilting his head and frowning at her with an amused smile on his face.

'N-nothing!' Lucy said at once, having only realised what she had just said, and she blushed furiously. 'I just…it's embarrassing, you know, the idea of me trying to fight someone, I can't even throw a decent punch.'

'I will teach you,' Wyatt promised, slowly and firmly. 'Please, let me do this for you. And for me.'

They were silent for a moment as they simply gazed at each other, both totally in awe of what the other was doing to them, at how close they had become, how much they had grown. Lucy was stunned.

'You're very persuasive, you know, Wyatt Logan,' she said playfully.

'It's one of my many talents,' Wyatt said slyly, returning her smile. 'So what d'you say?'

Lucy groaned. 'Go on, then. I'm in your hands.'

'Great. We can start small on Monday. I promise I'll go easy on you,' Wyatt said, grinning at Lucy's wary expression. 'It'll make me feel better to know you can fight Flynn if anything like this happens again.'

Lucy stared up at him in amazement.

'What?' Wyatt asked self-consciously, aware of the look in her eyes.

'You were really freaked out, weren't you?' she said in a dazed tone, and it hurt Wyatt to realise that Lucy would never have thought that before, that she hadn't known just how much he cared about her, how worried he had been while she'd been gone.

'Yeah. Well, me and Rufus both were, y'know, you were gone and we didn't know…but you're back here and you're safe now. And we're gonna make sure you'll always be safe from now on,' Wyatt said gently, and he smiled at her. 'Anyway, err…can I give you a ride home?'

'Sure,' Lucy said after a hesitation, and she smiled as they began to walk back down the corridor towards the exit together. 'Thanks.'

And so Lucy and Wyatt began a new tradition – twice a week, they would meet up privately in one of Mason's many spare offices, both dressed in their workout gear, cleared the space, and practiced their self-defence moves. In these hourly sessions, both Lucy and Wyatt could try and push their problems out of their minds – no more dwelling over Amy or Jessica's killer…and it was almost easy for them to forget about those things when they were in each other's company, particularly when the sessions often had such amusing consequences.

Wyatt taught Lucy how to bang her head against the attacker's nose, and also how to effectively kick the groin – at one point Lucy struck Wyatt so hard during this session that he practically curled up in a ball on the floor in sheer agony, while Lucy cried out apologies and fought back laughter as he slowly recovered. A particularly interesting session was the 'attack from the ground' move, where either Lucy or Wyatt frequently ended up on top of the other on the floor, panting and sweating and breathing nervously as their hearts raced and their faces rested inches away from each other's, their bodies jammed awkwardly together. It was funny and exciting at first…at least until Jiya walked in at one point, catching them in a compromising position, and suddenly it became less funny then, and they decided to move on to practising a difference move. One of Lucy's favourite moves was the knifehand strike – or, as Lucy liked to call it, the 'karate chop' – which she mastered surprisingly quickly. And as the weeks went on, Lucy and Wyatt both found themselves looking forward to their lessons very much, and they ended up laughing together more than they had laughed in a very, very long time.

But their good mood was not to last long.

One day they came into work to be told that Flynn had taken the Mothership out to April the 3rd, 1882 – the day that Jesse James was shot in the back by two members of his gang. Wyatt was not in in the best mindset himself – he was internally conflicted, his mind engaging in a fierce battle over what was right and what he wanted, haunted by his visit to a certain prison earlier – but he also noticed that as Lucy explained the historical event of James' murder to them, she looked rather blank, her voice completely expressionless – not her usual passionate or anxious self.

'Off you go, cowboys.' Agent Christopher said, once they had finished debating what Flynn could do to interfere with Jesse James.

Wyatt looked at Lucy, who hadn't made any inclination that she was going to move from her chair. She looked tired, empty. Her face was so pale that Wyatt found himself worrying that she might be ill. But that couldn't just be it – her eyes hadn't met his when she'd greeted him this afternoon, nor had she managed even a hint of a smile yet. Making a mental note to ask her what was wrong once he was alone with her, he straightened up and left, but held back when he heard Agent Christopher speak her name.

'Lucy. Are you okay?' Agent Christopher asked, watching her carefully.

Lucy blinked and focussed on Agent Christopher; she had been lost in a daydream. 'Yeah,' she replied absently.

Unsatisfied with her response, Agent Christopher walked past Lucy and paused by Wyatt hovering in the doorway.

'Look after her,' she murmured in a low voice, clearly concerned.

Wyatt nodded. 'Always,' he said, and as Agent Christopher left, he turned to Lucy, who was still in her chair staring at nothing, and cleared his throat. 'That true?'

'What?' Lucy muttered, registering him for the first time, and Wyatt raised his eyebrows at her.

' _Are_ you okay?'

'Why do people keep asking me that today?' Lucy said irritably, resting her head on her hand.

'Oh, I don't know, maybe because you don't seem to really…be here? You stoned or something?' Wyatt asked, his lips twitching.

She tilted her head at him. 'I'm not in the mood for your jokes, Wyatt.'

'Then tell me what's wrong,' Wyatt said worriedly, but she merely got up from her chair and ignored him; he sighed. 'Is it from your lesson the other day? Is the bruise still there? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you-'

'No, it's not the bruise that's bothering me, Wyatt, I just wish I didn't need to have the sessions in the first place,' Lucy said heavily. 'I don't understand how the hell this is my life now.'

Wyatt hesitated, stunned and not really sure how to respond. 'Well…we can stop, if you want, if it's making you uncomfortable or-'

'Well maybe that's a good idea!' Lucy interrupted shortly, and she walked past him to head over to the wardrobe dock.

Wyatt stared after her for a minute then caught up with her. 'Lucy, what is this really about?' he asked. 'Talk to me, I'm here if you-'

Lucy stopped walking and turned to face him. 'No. I'm sorry, but I…just leave me alone, please,' she said, her voice merely a whisper as she gazed apologetically at Wyatt. 'I just…no, I can't…let's just focus on sorting out whatever Flynn's crappy deal is with Jesse James, okay?'

And with that she walked away, leaving Wyatt watching her go with a hurt, helpless expression on his face.

* * *

When they arrived at Jesse James' house an hour later, they found Charley and Robert Ford, Jesse James' treacherous gang members, lying on the blood-soaked floor, dead. There was no sign of Jesse James anywhere, and so Wyatt quickly came to the conclusion that Flynn had prevented his pivotal death from occurring. But what concerned Wyatt almost more than this worrying revelation was Lucy's reaction to it – or rather, her lack of reaction. She didn't seem notably affected by the fact that Flynn had stopped Jesse James from being shot, despite the major ramifications this would undoubtedly cause to the timeline. In fact, she seemed entirely unbothered about the whole thing – her eyes weren't even alight with excitement at being in the Wild West. It was as if she were merely a shell. She wasn't really there.

The team headed into town to investigate where Flynn could have taken James, but Lucy hung back from the others, walking as if in a trance as they went down the snowy path past the saloons and blacksmiths and stables. According to a bartender Wyatt questioned, it seemed that Flynn and James were headed south – and they had left a trail of destruction and dead bodies in the town, it seemed.

'Where you going?' Rufus asked, alarmed, as he hurried after Wyatt, Lucy trailing blankly behind.

'To buy some horses so we can follow them,' Wyatt replied, marching ahead.

'What, just, south? Through hostile Native American land?' Rufus said cynically. 'That's not exactly Google Maps, is it?'

'Well, we've survived worse.'

'Barely. We won't make - hey, _stop_!' Rufus said urgently, grabbing Wyatt's arm and holding him back.

Wyatt glared angrily at Rufus. 'What part of "Jesse James is killing people" don't you understand? People are dying that are not supposed to die. And the longer he's alive, the more he's gonna mess up history. And since when am _I_ the one worried about protecting history?!' he said incredulously, frowning, and he rounded on Lucy. 'Lucy, I don't know what is going on with you but you need to get your head in the game. Like, right now.'

Lucy turned to him, her expression empty, and nodded. 'Sorry,' she murmured.

Wyatt sighed, immediately regretting losing his patience with her. Clearly she was going through something, and he wasn't making it any easier by taking his temper out on her.

But Wyatt's words had made Lucy see sense – she needed to stop thinking about that horrendous dream she'd had about Amy earlier – and so she led Wyatt and Rufus to enlist the help of U.S. Marshals Bass Reeves and Grant Johnson so they could guide them through the hostile territory and help track Flynn and James. The men waited patiently for Lucy to change into some more appropriate clothing for their long horse ride, and when she trudged over to them through the snow in her Calamity Jane-esque attire, Wyatt felt his heart rate increase.

Rufus raised his eyebrows in approval as Lucy walked over towards her horse. 'Wow.'

'Yeah. It's very Eastwood,' Wyatt murmured, impressed, and his lips twitched.

'A woman wearing pants,' Beeves said in disbelief.

'Wouldn't want a dress slowing us down,' Lucy pointed out, and she hoisted herself up onto her horse…only to instantly slide off, flailing. 'Oh-oh-!'

'Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa,' Johnson said, holding her steady before she collapsed onto the ground.

'Yeah, I'm good,' Lucy said in a bright tone. 'Thank you.'

Wyatt nodded at her, smiling and wishing she wasn't so adorable. 'You sure?' he asked, amused.

'Yeah, yeah. I got it,' Lucy said airily. 'I'm good.'

'Okay,' Wyatt said quietly, smirking as he turned away.

They rode off as soon as Lucy had finally got herself securely sat on her horse, and through interviewing witnesses and locating various dead bodies that had been left on the ground, their group slowly but surely followed Flynn and James' trail. The hours passed and when night fell, they decided to make camp – Wyatt was reluctant for them to stop, but even he had to admit from the look on Lucy's face that they needed to rest and that it was too cold for them to keep going.

Lucy sat quietly by the fire as they made camp, hugging her knees and simply staring into the flames, almost as if she were unaware of everyone's presence. Meanwhile Wyatt spent the next hour or so disagreeing with Bass Reeves on whether they ought to let Jesse James live when the right thing to do would be to kill him. Reeves was adamant that they should uphold the law and simply capture James, but Wyatt…well, Wyatt was strong-minded, and for some reason felt it upon himself to take over Lucy's role of trying to preserve history. History told them that James should have died…therefore he had to die.

'These are good men,' Rufus was saying quietly, as he joined Lucy and Wyatt sat around the campfire, and Lucy nodded slowly in agreement. 'We can't double-cross them.'

'So, what, we put Jesse James in jail? Is that your big plan?' Wyatt muttered irritably, and Lucy closed her eyes, fed up with his constant angry tone today. 'He can't hurt anyone else if he's dead, like he's supposed to be.'

'What is with you?' Rufus demanded, annoyed, as he huddled up further in his blanket. 'You have been wound tight since before we got here.'

Wyatt looked away. 'I'm fine.'

'Spoken in a way that is far from fine,' Rufus pointed out.

There was a silence. Lucy could hear Wyatt breathing deeply beside her, and for the first time since sitting down she looked up from the flames. Wyatt looked so dashing in his cowboy hat, but there was a tortured pain in his expression, a fury there that almost frightened her.

'I saw him,' Wyatt eventually said. 'I talked to him.'

'Talked to who?' Lucy asked softly.

'Jessica's killer,' Wyatt spat, staring down at the fire, and he looked up at Lucy. 'Flynn gave me the name. Just like he promised.'

Lucy felt an overwhelming surge of pity for the man sat beside her. She should have known she wasn't the only one dealing with personal issues today – neither of them had been themselves, and if she'd cared enough to pay proper attention to Wyatt, she would have spotted it.

She wanted desperately to ask if Wyatt was okay, but all she managed was, 'Did he admit it?'

Wyatt smiled wryly in response. 'He murdered two other women besides Jessica. If I could go back and put a bullet in his head and stop him, I wouldn't think twice,' he said fiercely, and when his eyes met Lucy's, she saw that they were filled with tears.

She glanced away, hating to see him so anguished.

'Look, Wyatt, I…can't even imagine what it's like to…' Rufus trailed off, unable to put into words what Wyatt was going through, and he shook his head. 'It's just…you know the guy I shot in Houston? It's been hard. Maybe killing shouldn't be an everyday thing. Maybe it should be…harder for the good guys. And Bass is right. It's getting harder to look in the mirror. How far are we willing to go?'

Wyatt closed his eyes and shook his head in frustration. 'What we're doing, it's right.'

'I'm sure Flynn tells his guys the same thing,' Rufus muttered.

Wyatt sighed heavily and turned to Lucy. 'You want to back me up here?' he asked gently.

'I don't know if I can,' Lucy admitted in a low, quiet voice, her tone robotic and empty as she once again stared into the flames. 'Yesterday was my sister's birthday. I didn't remember.'

Aching with sympathy for her, Wyatt tilted his head. 'Yeah, but…' he began, his tone suddenly soft, but Lucy interrupted him.

'I should have remembered because…I'm the only person on the planet that ever knew she existed,' she went on blankly in a monotone voice. 'Flynn, crazy as he is, seems to be telling the truth. Rittenhouse is real, and it is dangerous. Who's to say what's right and wrong anymore?'

'All right, listen up, both of you,' Wyatt said firmly, scared by the way Lucy was acting. 'We have a job to do.'

'I don't want to do this job anymore,' Lucy said, and her voice shook. 'I want my sister back. I want to go home.'

Choking back tears, Lucy then lay back, and moved her hat over her face to shield her eyes from view.

Wyatt exchanged a desperate look with Rufus, not knowing what to do. 'Lucy, I didn't mean to be insensitive, I just mean…we should focus on dealing with James for now, and then-'

'I understand, and thank you, but I'm trying to sleep,' Lucy's muffled voice muttered from under her hat.

Wyatt nodded. 'Got it,' he mumbled.

He and Rufus tried to settle down then, but half an hour passed, and sleep had still not greeted them. It didn't help that they were all on edge, waiting for some imposter to attack them in the night, and that it was freezing. Wyatt was concerned about Lucy; he could see that she was shivering violently. Eventually, Wyatt shuffled over to her in his blankets with a sigh.

'Hey,' Wyatt murmured softly, and Lucy jumped as he slowly tilted her hat up so he could see her face. 'Do you want my blanket?'

'So you're left even more freezing?' Lucy whispered, raising her eyebrows, and a hint of a smile appeared on her face for a fraction of a second. 'No, but thank you.'

'You know, if you guys are super cold, you could try huddling together for warmth,' Rufus said hopefully from the other end of the fire, but he fell silent and gave an awkward grimace as both Lucy and Wyatt turned to stare at him. 'My bad. Just a suggestion.'

'We shouldn't be sleeping,' Wyatt grumbled, resting his head back down on his blankets beside Lucy. 'We should be out there trying to find those bastards.'

'Flynn and James will have stopped to rest as well, Wyatt, and it's too dark out there for us to do anything, it's not safe,' Lucy pointed out.

Wyatt groaned. 'I suppose. Still not gonna be able to get to sleep.'

'Well if you quit being so grumpy and actually stay quiet then maybe you might be able to,' Lucy muttered wearily.

'I doubt it. But I'll try,' he added hastily, but he could only manage to be silent for another ten minutes before he found himself voicing the concern that had been pressing on his mind since the moment she had spoken it. 'Lucy…'

Lucy sighed, and removed her hat so she could turn her head sideways to look at him. 'What now?'

'Did you mean what you said? You don't want this job anymore?' he asked quietly, and they looked at each other for a moment, the dancing flames from the campfire reflected in their eyes.

'Well yeah, of course I meant it,' Lucy replied, and she frowned at him. 'I don't actually enjoy the fact that a day at work now means nearly getting killed on a weekly basis. I mean, don't get me wrong, the travelling back in time…it's incredible, but…the risks that come with it? Everything we've been put through since they hired us? It's not exactly the big career change I was hoping for. And Amy would certainly _not_ approve…'

She trailed off and fell silent, her face falling as she let her sister's name hang in the air.

'Look, I'm…I'm sorry for being in such a bad mood today,' Lucy murmured heavily. 'I don't mean to be rude, I just…'

'I know. You don't have to explain, it's okay,' Wyatt said gently, and he grimaced. 'I'm sorry for being a jerk too.'

'You have good reason, you confronted your wife's killer earlier,' Lucy said, her face screwed up in turmoil, 'you have every right to-'

'So do you, Lucy,' Wyatt said earnestly, and he moved his hand out from under his blanket to place it comfortingly on her arm. 'This is your sister. It was bound to hit you at some point.'

'I guess I've just…reached another hump, as you would say,' Lucy mumbled.

'And you'll find your way over it, just like you did before,' Wyatt said encouragingly.

Lucy managed a small smile. 'Thanks, Wyatt.'

Wyatt gazed at her empty, tired face for a moment, wishing he could do something, _anything_ , for her pain to go away. 'Try get some sleep, okay?' he murmured, rubbing his hand up and down her arm, and he tilted his head at her when she looked at him doubtfully. 'It's okay. I'm right here.'

Reassured, Lucy then turned on her side and huddled more fiercely under her blankets. Wyatt gently placed her hat back over face to shield her eyes from the light of the fire, and they both laughed softly. As she tried to get to sleep, Wyatt noticed Rufus was watching them curiously, but Wyatt chose not to care – what did it matter if they were lying close together? Lucy's trembling soon stopped, and sure enough Wyatt was comforted by the sound of her slow, deep breathing. But he decided not to move back over to his spot. Even though she was asleep now, he wasn't going to leave her side. He could never do that now, he realised. He was in too deep, with Lucy and with Rufus. They meant far too much to him than he had ever counted on, and what shocked Wyatt the most was that, in spite of what he had been through today at that prison, he could find simple happiness and relief at the mere sight of Lucy Preston sleeping peacefully next to him.


	17. Lucy's First Kill

They discovered where Flynn and Jesse James had been hiding the next day, late in the afternoon when the sky was darkening yet again – it was a cabin in a hidden area of the forest, only…it wasn't a typical cabin of 1882. It was filled with modern equipment; a laptop, a cell phone, and books that had only been published in the last ten years or so. Rufus barely had time to reveal that these mysterious items had belonged to Emma Whitmore, a former Mason Industries employee who was believed to be dead, when they were interrupted by the loud gunfire from outside that smashed the cabins' windows to pieces. As glass and bullets flew everywhere, Lucy and the others ducked down for cover – only it was too late for Grant, who was shot and killed. Furious, Wyatt checked that Lucy was unharmed and then marched outside to confront Jesse James, who was clearly very excited by the modern machine gun he had got chance to play with. While Wyatt held James at gunpoint, Bass Reeves rushed out to try and stop Wyatt from doing what must be done.

'I'm unarmed. I'm wounded. And I surrender,' James was saying, holding his hands up.

'We take him to jail. He'll see justice,' Reeves said firmly to Wyatt, his gun also held up as he tried desperately to diffuse the situation.

'He'll escape,' Wyatt protested. 'He'll kill more people.'

'Wyatt.'

'We got to be sure,' Wyatt insisted, clearly in turmoil, his finger twitching on the trigger.

'Look at me,' Reeves said sternly, and Wyatt did. 'You have a choice, son.'

Lips trembling and his eyes bloodshot, Wyatt glanced fervently back and forth between Reeves and James, conflicted, his hand holding the gun shaking. He didn't know what to do.

And then a gunshot rent the air as Jesse James moaned out in pain and collapsed to the ground, blood spurting from his chest. Wyatt's eyes widened in horror; Lucy was stood there behind James, her hands firmly holding onto the pistol gun with which she had just shot him in the back.

Wyatt stared at Lucy in shock, unable to believe what had just happened. The gun fell from Lucy's trembling hand, and her breathing turned into gasps of horror as she stared down at the man she had just killed.

'Lucy…' Wyatt whispered, taking a tentative step towards her.

'You should not have done that,' Reeves said slowly, sighing and disappointment emanating off every feature of his face as he put down his gun.

'I had to,' Lucy said in a tremoring voice. 'It's like Wyatt said, he would have killed more people. He had to die.'

'I had it handled, Lucy!' Wyatt protested.

'Why?' Lucy demanded, and there were tears rolling down her cheeks. 'Why should it always be you faced with having to do that?'

Wyatt paused for a moment, stunned. 'Because it's my job! I'm the soldier, I-'

'And I am no longer just a historian!' Lucy interrupted furiously. 'I had to do it. I'm sorry, Marshall. I had to.'

Lucy then turned on her heel and hurried away into the shelter of the cabin, so that Wyatt wouldn't see her sob, and Rufus gave her a comforting hug as she tearfully explained what she had just done. Once Reeves and Wyatt had recovered from the initial shock of the evening's events, they followed her back into the cabin…dragging Jesse James' body in with them.

'Get some rest. We ride out at dawn,' Reeves said to the group commandingly, unable to fully look Lucy in the eye.

'No,' Lucy said in a quiet but firm voice, and everyone looked down at her, curled up on one of the chairs. 'We ride out now. There's no point in putting it off, please. You seriously think any of us will be able to sleep?'

There was a strained silence, but then Wyatt came to her rescue.

'She's right,' he said firmly, casting her a concerned glance. 'We might as well get on with it.'

'Well…we'll need to take his body back,' Reeves said uncomfortably, looking doubtful. 'And Grant's.'

While Reeves and Rufus awkwardly discussed the logistics of how best to carry two dead bodies back into town, Wyatt walked over to Lucy's side.

'Are you sure you're okay to ride-?' he asked, but Lucy interrupted him without meeting his gaze.

'I'm sure. I want to get back.'

Wyatt sat on the chair next to hers and tilted his head at her sympathetically. 'You wanna go home, don't you?'

'As soon as possible. Might need to book an appointment with a therapist as soon as we get back to 2017,' Lucy said, though she did not smile.

Wyatt frowned, desperately worried and sorry for her. 'Look, about what just happened-'

'Oh, you mean the fact that I just took a man's life?' Lucy said in a low voice, turning to look at him and raising her eyebrows.

'You know it was right thing to do,' Wyatt reassured her quietly, resting his arm on the back of her chair. 'I just wish you hadn't burdened yourself with…you shouldn't have had to do it.'

'Yes, I did. You looked so…torn. It wasn't fair on you,' Lucy murmured, and Wyatt's lips parted. 'And…I've been mourning Amy when I never should have had to, she should still be here but because of one change in the timeline, she was erased and…I don't want that to happen to anyone else. If Jesse James had lived, he'd have killed more people, and then more people from the future would have been erased and forgotten. No one deserves to suffer like that.'

Wyatt gazed at her, at this wonderful woman who had been so hardened by loss, and felt the guilt wash over him. He had been so distracted by his own problems concerning Jessica's killer that he hadn't taken a moment to properly consider Lucy's. She was slowly beginning to resemble Wyatt himself, and it worried him that she would end up in such a dark place. She was the last person he knew who deserved this pain and turmoil she was going through. Wyatt opened his mouth to say something, but then Bass Reeves stepped over to them.

'Are you two ready?' he asked, casting them both suspicious glances.

Lucy took a deep breath. 'Hm-hm. Let's go,' she said decisively, and she got up from her chair, unaware of how Wyatt reached out to hold her hand before hesitating and changing his mind.

When they eventually reached the town the next day, a large crowd was waiting for them and began to cheer when they saw Jesse James' body. Lucy was like a ghost as she watched the reporters and photographers gather eagerly around the man she had killed; she was numb from shock over what she had done. It was almost as if she couldn't feel anything, and when Bass Reeves handed over the reward money for her handiwork, she refused at once.

'Give it to Grant's family. They could use it,' Lucy said, but Reeves simply ignored her and walked away.

Wyatt glanced at Lucy's crestfallen expression and turned back accusingly to Reeves. 'Hey,' he protested, and Reeves stopped and turned around to face them. 'We did something good. You should be thanking us.'

'Killing an injured man when he plain said he wished to surrender?' Reeves murmured sceptically, and he was looking at Lucy as if she were something rotten on the bottom of his shoe. 'That's a lot of things. Good ain't one of them. And you'll live with it.'

Lucy watched him go without really hearing or seeing anything. While Rufus hurried after Reeves to try and convince him to talk to the reporters about the incident, in order to get the recognition he deserved, Wyatt turned to Lucy, at a loss with what to say.

'That wasn't fair,' he said, but Lucy shook her head.

'No, it was. And he's right,' she murmured, looking back at the crowds still cheering around Jesse James' body.

'Lucy, you can't let what he said get to you,' Wyatt said earnestly.

Lucy spun back round to him, looking angry. 'No. Don't tell me what to feel, y-you have no idea what-'

'I've killed before,' Wyatt reminded her agitatedly, 'of course I know how it feels-'

'Not like this!' Lucy snapped, and Wyatt fell silent. 'You signed up for it, your whole career is based around killing, you clearly can't feel any remorse or guilt or pain when you do it because if you did you'd make a terrible soldier. But me? I was just a teacher. Now look at me. I shot someone in the back. I'd never even picked up a gun before this damn job.'

Wyatt sighed. 'You've not signed a contract in blood, you know, if you want out then-'

'No, Wyatt, I can't be out, because if I'm out then that means I've given up! That means no chance to get Amy back!' Lucy said despairingly. 'I can't just walk away from it and get on with my life, find a new teaching job, no…I…I'm trapped in this assignment and it's been going on for months and we're no closer to catching Flynn than we were from the start. So…we're just gonna carry on playing cat-and-mouse and I have to deal with it because I am _not_ giving up on my sister. I can't throw away any opportunity to get her back, she was my best friend.'

Her words made Wyatt shudder, and he looked out at the snowy views, trying to block out the sounds of the jeering crowd and the reporters. 'I know how you feel more than you think, Lucy,' he murmured.

Lucy closed her eyes; she had almost forgotten. 'Jessica. I know. God, I…I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like to look that bastard in the eye,' she said, a tremor in her voice. 'But then I guess I did just what he did – I killed a person, so how does that make me any better from Jessica's murderer?'

'Because it's totally different, Lucy!' Wyatt said, turning back to her with a frustrated glint in his eye. 'Jessica's killer, he…he murdered three women, he was a sadistic psychopath who found joy in brutally ending the lives of innocent victims. He's a bad guy. But you, you're…inherently good. And Jesse James? He already should have died before Flynn messed it up – you were setting history right, and you were saving a hell of a lot of people who he would have ended up killing if he'd lived. You did a good thing, Lucy. Trust me.'

There was a pause as Lucy took in what he said, and then eventually she nodded. 'I know you're right. And I don't even regret it. I just wish it wasn't so hard. I can't stop thinking about it. I keep imaging I'm still holding that gun,' she said, her fingers twitching.

'Well, the first time you kill is always the worst,' Wyatt said in understanding…and Lucy looked at him incredulously.

'The first time? Wyatt, I'm hoping this is gonna be my only kill!' she said, horrified. 'What, did you think this would change me? Now I'll become some ruthless heartless killing machine who is completely not bothered by shooting whoever gets in my way? I'm not joining your little club just yet, Wyatt, you're on your own for now.'

Wyatt laughed without humour, trying not to show how much her words had hurt him. 'Woah, it's all coming out now, isn't it?'

'What?'

'What you really think of me,' he said coldly, and Lucy groaned. 'You don't think that was a little below the belt?'

Lucy just shook her head at him in despair. 'I don't know what I think about anything anymore, Wyatt! I am a mess! And I'm sorry if I've insulted you but I just…I don't want to deal with any of this bullshit anymore! I've had enough!' she shouted, and she turned promptly to call Rufus. 'Rufus, are you done?!'

Rufus hurried back over, looking confused.

'Let's go back, okay? Please?' she asked, clearly agitated.

'Yeah sure, it's not a long walk to the Lifeboat…are you two okay?' Rufus asked anxiously, his eyes widening as he glanced back and forth between his two tense team members.

'Peachy,' Wyatt replied with a false smile.

'Yes. What he said. Now let's get the hell out of here,' Lucy said impatiently, and with that she led the way out of town, without a backwards glance.

* * *

The wardrobe dock was completely empty apart from Wyatt when Lucy entered to drop off her hat and outfit. She froze and watched him anxiously; his hands were gripping the dressing table, and he was staring at the mirror with a rage in his eyes like no other. She wondered what could possibly be torturing his mind so ferociously. They hadn't spoken a word to each other since their heated discussion earlier; Rufus had found the awkward silence in the Lifeboat on the way back unbearable. But now that Lucy had calmed down and was back in the reality of her troubled present-day life, she knew she had to make amends.

'Wyatt,' she began, and Wyatt turned around from the mirror, shocked to find her stood there. 'I…I'm-'

Wyatt clasped a hand to his head, exhausted. 'You don't have to say anything, Lucy,' he murmured.

'No, I do. I didn't mean what I said, I…I'm so sorry,' Lucy whispered, pressing her lips together to stop herself from welling up.

'It's all right. Honestly,' Wyatt said softly, and he walked over to put a hand on her shoulder. 'Hey, I hate to see a member of my team going through some crap alone. You want company tomorrow or something? I meant what I said yesterday, I'm here if you want to talk.'

Lucy smiled; there was nothing she would have loved more if she wasn't in such an internal struggle. 'Actually I think I want to be on my own for a while. Well, maybe spend a bit of time with my mom, I don't know,' she murmured. 'But thank you, really. I know this stuff isn't…well, you don't like it.'

Wyatt tilted his head at her. '"This stuff"?'

'Dealing with an emotional person,' Lucy clarified.

'I think I'm better with emotions than you give me credit for,' Wyatt said, and they both laughed softly. 'And I'll deal with anything so long as you're all right in the end.'

'I will be. And…the same goes for you by the way. If you ever need someone to talk to about…Jessica or…whatever,' Lucy murmured, even though the thought of talking to the man she had feelings for about his deceased wife was far from her ideal one-to-one scenario.

Wyatt looked down at the floor, shuffling his feet awkwardly. 'Thank you, Lucy.'

'Have a good night. I'll see you when I see you,' Lucy said, brushing his arm as she made towards the exit.

'Goodnight.'

Wyatt watched her disappear through the door, and stared at that spot for a long time, wondering why he hadn't been able to say anything to her then about what he had decided to do. Because he'd been thinking about Jessica and her killer a considerable amount over the past couple of hours since they'd got back into the Lifeboat, and he hadn't been able to get Lucy's words about Amy out of his head…

 _I can't throw away any opportunity to get her back._

And so when he met Rufus at the bar to tell him his plan, it was Lucy's voice in his head telling him that this was the right thing to do, that she would do the same if it was her. He had to do it. He had to steal the Lifeboat to save Jessica in whatever way he could. He owed it to her to try.

'So your plan is to pretend I'm your hostage, and you're forcing me to take you there?' Rufus said sceptically, once Wyatt had finally managed to persuade him to hear him out on this.

'Yeah, that way you won't get in trouble,' Wyatt said, taking a sip of his drink.

Rufus watched Wyatt carefully for a moment, disbelieving – hadn't they already been through enough without _this_ being thrown in as well?!

'Dude, what about Lucy?' Rufus said, almost accusingly, and Wyatt's animated expression immediately became forlorn.

'I know I should tell her,' he murmured heavily, after a long hesitation. 'I need to…I-I _want_ to, but…we can't bring her. It's too risky, and I can't exactly pretend to hold her hostage as well, they won't believe that. I don't want her in Agent Christopher's bad books, otherwise she won't be able to go get Amy back.'

'So what, you're just gonna leave her without saying anything?'

'What can I say?' Wyatt asked helplessly, and Rufus stared at him incredulously.

'Err, well how about that you're sorry?' he suggested.

Wyatt frowned, confused. '"Sorry"?'

'Yes, Wyatt, "sorry", you've been stringing her along for months,' Rufus said exasperatedly, and Wyatt looked away from him, mortified. 'Me and Jiya wanted to start a bet with Agent Christopher and Mason on when you two would finally hook up!'

'Oh, c'mon, don't be ridiculous, that was never gonna happen,' Wyatt protested.

Rufus raised his eyebrows at him. 'Wasn't it? Really? Look, dude, don't get me wrong, I get why you want to get Jessica back, she's your wife, you still love her, I'd do the same if it was me, but you can't deny what was going on with Lucy,' he said, and Wyatt breathed deeply, wishing he could unhear what Rufus was saying; this was only going to make it harder. 'You at least owe her a goodbye.'

'It wouldn't be goodbye,' Wyatt said, smiling wryly at Rufus' melodramatic nature, 'this isn't a suicide mission we're going on, we'll come back!'

'Yeah but we might come back to a completely different timeline,' Rufus pointed out urgently. 'Think about it, think how much things would change if Jessica were alive. You and Lucy wouldn't be the way you are now. Hell, you might not have taken this assignment with Mason Industries if you were still married to Jessica, so Lucy might not even end up knowing you.'

There was a silence. Wyatt was staring at the bar counter, his eyes seeing nothing. _Lucy might not even end up knowing you._ He felt like he was falling from the bar stool, falling deep down into an endless empty pit, when in reality he wasn't moving at all – he was frozen.

'Ah,' Rufus said, sighing. 'You hadn't thought about that, had you?'

'No, I hadn't,' Wyatt murmured, and he glanced up at Rufus despairingly. 'It's my wife, Rufus. I'm not gonna lie, our marriage wasn't perfect. We weren't in a great place, there were…lots of ups and downs. But I loved her. And she died because I abandoned her on a road at night. And now I've got this chance to stop it from happening…'

'I know. And I'm with you all the way, Wyatt, you know that, right?' Rufus said sincerely.

Wyatt nodded and clapped his friend on the shoulder. 'I know. I just didn't expect…' He trailed off and shook his head. 'I should go see Lucy.'

'Yeah, you should.'

There was another pause.

'What the hell do I say to her?' Wyatt said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Rufus smiled sadly. 'The truth.'

'I don't wanna hurt her.'

'Sorry, but I can't see that not happening. She's got it bad for you,' Rufus said, a sad smile on his face, and Wyatt's eyes widened in alarm. 'But she's one of the most caring people I've ever met, and she'll understand. Believe me, she'll more than understand.'

Wyatt swallowed, feeling the blush creep on his cheeks. 'I didn't realise everyone else…'

'Dude, we've known about you two having the hots for each other for, like, half a year, we're not idiots,' Rufus said, half-laughing.

Wyatt closed his eyes; he hadn't even addressed his feelings on this very matter himself, so it was strange to hear Rufus talk about it so casually and explicitly…it made it more real.

Rufus could tell from Wyatt's expression what he was thinking instantly, and he groaned. 'And for God's sake, please don't go feeling guilty for having a crush on some other woman, you're single and you're allowed to get feelings. Even if it…makes things…complicated when you can travel back in time to…save your wife,' he added awkwardly, frowning.

'I kissed her once,' Wyatt found himself saying, before he even had time to think.

'Lucy?' Rufus said, surprised, and when Wyatt nodded, Rufus's mouth popped wide open. 'Woah, what the hell, when?!'

Wyatt paused. He had been carrying the memory of that evening for a couple of months now, too afraid to speak about it to anyone out of fear that it would force him to confront what he had _really_ thought about it. But now suddenly he realised that Rufus was his best friend in all of this, and he deserved to know. Not even that, Wyatt _wanted_ him to know.

'It wasn't real. It was when we were with Bonnie and Clyde, y'know, when we were pretending to be another shady couple on the run from the cops, whatever. They weren't buying it, so…we had to make it convincing. Shared a bed and everything,' Wyatt explained, smiling in an embarrassed sort of way at the hilarious look on Rufus's face.

' _Why_ did you not tell me about this?!' Rufus demanded, slapping Wyatt's arm, and despite the real reason for why they were here, Wyatt couldn't help laughing.

'I thought there was nothing to tell. And…I was ashamed,' he admitted, his smile fading instantly.

Rufus tilted his head. 'Why?'

'Because I liked it. And she wasn't Jessica, so I felt like I was…cheating on my wife,' Wyatt said, unable to look at Rufus, and his voice shook when he spoke. 'That's why I have to do this, Rufus. I have to try, or I will never move on from Jess, I'll never get over it, I'll never forgive myself.'

'You're wanting closure,' Rufus murmured.

'I'm wanting another chance,' Wyatt said fiercely. 'Jessica deserves to live.'

Rufus hesitated for a moment. 'Okay. So let's go save her,' he said firmly, getting up from his bar stool.

'Thanks, Rufus,' Wyatt said gratefully, flashing Rufus a trembling smile. 'Really, I can't tell you how much-'

But Rufus interrupted him with a grimace. 'Let's wait and see how this disastrous plan to break into Mason Industries goes before you thank me.'

'Fair point. I…I'll go over to Lucy's now,' Wyatt said anxiously as they headed towards the bar door. 'She'll probably be asleep…'

'Doesn't matter,' Rufus said at once, 'she'll want to see you before we go.'

* * *

They drove to Lucy's house in silence. Wyatt stared out of the car window in torment, though his mind was set. Although conflicted about his undeniable burgeoning feelings for Lucy, this was his wife. He had been tortured by guilt for all these years, believing Jessica's death to be his fault, and now he had a chance to change it. He would never be able to let it go, not while there was a time machine on his doorstep. He had the identity of the killer, and he was determined to make things right, so he could save her while he was still able to.

But Lucy? She was a light in his life that he had never counted on, and he knew, as they pulled up outside the house and stayed sat in the car for a moment, that this wasn't going to be easy.

'You want me to go in with you?' Rufus asked Wyatt quietly.

Wyatt didn't answer for a moment; he was looking up at the house, all the curtains drawn, the lights switched off. He had never been inside Lucy's house before. He had dropped her off multiple times, but they had never quite reached that stage yet of her inviting him in for a cosy nightcap or introducing him to her mother. And now they never would.

'No,' Wyatt replied eventually. 'I need to speak to her alone, I think.'

Rufus nodded, understanding at once. 'Good luck.'

'Thanks, man,' Wyatt murmured, and he got out of the car.

He headed up the path agitatedly, wanting to get this over with. His hands twitched and he nearly stopped twice to turn back and just drive off, unable to face her protests or her distress.

 _Get a grip, Wyatt. It's just Lucy,_ he told himself agitatedly.

Wyatt turned back to the car; Rufus smiled hopefully at him and gave him the thumbs-up. Wyatt nodded, and hurried up to the front doorstep, Rufus's words ringing through his ears…

' _You at least owe her a goodbye.'_

Wyatt took a deep breath and knocked on the door.


	18. Wyatt's Choice

**This chapter covers the first part of 1x13 :)**

* * *

'So…how did you guys meet, again? Lucy's been very secretive about work ever since she started working for Mason Industries.'

Lucy cast her sister an indignant look. 'Err, Amy, I'm right here!' she said reproachfully, and Wyatt laughed, his arm wrapped firmly around her.

'Well there's not much to tell, really. Just…we met on our first day working there. We were in the waiting room,' Wyatt replied, his eyes focussed on Lucy as she snuggled further into him on the couch. 'She was…well, she just wouldn't stop talking, even though it was obvious I was trying to sleep-'

'Sounds about right,' Amy said, laughing on the armchair opposite them.

'Hey, I wasn't even _that_ bad!' Lucy said, pursing her lips at Wyatt, and he poked her nose playfully, chuckling.

'And then she shot me down for calling her "ma'am" – force of habit, y'know – so I looked at her and…the rest is history,' Wyatt murmured, and as his gaze met Lucy's, they both leaned in and kissed tenderly.

'Love at first sight, huh?' Amy said wistfully, watching them with an adoring expression.

Lucy wiggled her eyebrows, resting her head on Wyatt's shoulder. 'More like love-hate at first sight.'

'Yeah. Took us a while to see it but…we made it eventually. Right, baby doll?' Wyatt said teasingly, pressing his lips to her forehead, and Lucy laughed.

'Sure thing, sweetheart.'

'Well I for one am extremely happy you two found each other,' Amy said, smirking, as she took another sip of her wine. 'I've never seen Lucy so happy.'

Lucy's eyes widened as her face went bright right. 'Amy!' she scolded, mortified.

'Is that right?' Wyatt said eagerly, grinning that irresistible grin of his at Lucy, but before she had time to come up with a witty response, they were distracted by the appearance of a man wearing a Stetson hat in the doorway.

'Lucy. I was wounded. And unarmed,' Jesse James said in a blank, monotone voice, and Lucy instantly went as white as a sheet as she stared in horror at her uninvited guest. 'Why'd you do it?'

Amy looked round at him in alarm. 'Do what, what did she do?' she demanded.

As if in answer, a hole then materialised in Jesse James' chest…a bloody, pulsating bullet wound, fresh and real and fatal…as Garcia Flynn emerged from the shadows.

'She shot him dead in the back. Because that's Lucy's destiny,' Flynn announced ominously, ignoring Lucy's tearful whispered protests as he stood over the couch. 'It's who she's always been meant to be.'

Trembling, Lucy looked away desperately from Jesse James' collapsing body to face Wyatt and Amy, shaking her head in despair. Wyatt had withdrawn his arm from around her, Amy was backing away, both of them staring at her in horror, like they had no idea who she was, like they didn't recognise the monster she had become… –

Lucy's eyes opened and she jerked upright with a loud gasp. She looked around, breathing deeply, at her dark bedroom, her empty bed.

 _It was just a dream. Just a dream. It wasn't real._

And then she heard the knocking, getting persistently louder and more urgent, from the front door downstairs. Lucy glanced at the clock on her bedside table; it was well after midnight.

'What the hell…?'

Hoping that her mother was too tired next-door to hear, Lucy grabbed her dressing gown, switched on the lights and hurried down the stairs, alarmed by the increasingly aggressive knocking on the door. She didn't even give herself time to consider that the visitor outside could be an associate of Flynn's or Rittenhouse – the knocking was too impatient for that – and she flung the door open.

Lucy faltered slightly. It was Wyatt.

'Hi,' she eventually said, exhausted and perplexed.

Wyatt glanced briefly at her and gave her an awkward nod. Even dishevelled and in her pyjamas, with her tousled hair a mess and heavy bags under her eyes, she looked beautiful. It wasn't going to make this any easier.

'Is everything okay?' Lucy asked worriedly, frowning as he walked past her to enter the house.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows as he looked around at the pristine hallway, not really knowing how best to do this. Why was he so overcome with guilt? Why did it feel like he was betraying her?

'Nice place,' was all Wyatt managed to say, trying to keep his tone casual.

Lucy stared at him, confused and wondering why he had his back to her. 'I…' She trailed off helplessly.

What was he doing here? Had something terrible happened? Or had he experienced a sudden revelation and come here to make a declaration of his true feelings? Something in Wyatt's body language told Lucy that it certainly wasn't the latter.

Wyatt looked at the stairs for a moment, unable to turn back and look her in the eye; he didn't want to see the pain there when he told her what he had been psyching himself up to do for months now. He was relieved that he was finally doing something about the event he had been grieving and guilt-ridden over for the past five years, that Rufus had agreed to help him, that he might actually have a chance at getting Jessica back…but there was no denying that it came at a heavy price. He was dreading this. He didn't want to hurt Lucy, God knows that was the last thing he ever wanted. But he had to tell her the truth. He owed her that.

Knowing it was no good putting it off any longer, Wyatt turned around to face her. 'Look, I'm sorry,' he said, 'I know it's so late, but I need to tell you something, and I'm only telling you because I trust you.'

Lucy nodded and wrapped her dressing gown more firmly around her, concerned by the look on his face; she had never seen him look so tormented. 'Okay,' she prompted nervously.

'I'm going to get Jessica back.'

His eyes were wide, his expression anxious, almost as if he were full of dread. Lucy stared at him for a second, before realising that she hadn't quite heard, or perhaps fully processed, the words that had just come out of his mouth. She tried speaking but when her lips parted no sound came out. She was stunned.

'What?' she said in a small voice.

'Me and Rufus. Tonight,' Wyatt said heavily, and Lucy gave him an incredulous look. 'We're stealing the Lifeboat.'

Lucy laughed without humour as she unfolded her arms. 'Do you have _any_ idea how much trouble you are going to get into?' she protested, disbelieving. 'I mean, this is…that's insane!'

'That's an understatement,' Wyatt said, an amused smile on his face.

Lucy stared at him for a moment, astounded, and then she realised he was being serious. He was actually going to do this. Well, at least Lucy was now clear on the way things stood between them – Wyatt had never seen her as more than just a co-worker, and she had been wrong about any 'possibilities' there. Jessica was all that filled Wyatt's mind, and quite rightly so – Lucy should never have hoped that he would move on to someone else, particularly when there was this chance he could set things right. And, no matter how upsetting it might be for her, she was going to help him all the way.

'Okay, let me get dressed,' she said, resigned to the fact that she was never going to be able to chance Wyatt's mind, and she walked past him towards the stairs.

It took a second for Wyatt to realise what she had just said; he had never expected her to support his decision, let alone volunteer instantly to come with him. He was touched by her determination. He didn't deserve someone so loyal and devoted in his life. But he couldn't let herself to do this, not for him. He had to protect her from harm.

'Lucy – no, no, no! Lucy,' Wyatt protested, turning towards her; Lucy stopped halfway up the stairs and turned back to him, confused. 'I'm not dragging you into this.'

'If you think for one second that I'm letting you go without me, you're insane-' Lucy said firmly, marching further up the stairs, but Wyatt cut over her loudly.

'You have a deal with Agent Christopher to get your sister back,' he reminded her, and Lucy turned to face him despairingly. 'If you come, that's out the window. You know that.'

Lucy didn't even have time to fully appreciate how Wyatt had even thought, let alone cared, so much about that side of things. She was too flummoxed by the situation, by what he was proposing, by how short notice it all was. She'd known it was coming, deep down; she'd known for a while that he would try something like this. But now? So soon? She almost wished she'd made the most of her time with him more. It would never be the same afterwards.

'But…does it _have_ to be tonight?' Lucy asked hopelessly.

Wyatt gazed sorrowfully up at her. 'I don't have a deal. The minute we actually stop Flynn, they're never letting me near that machine again,' he said quietly.

'What if Flynn takes out the-the Mothership again while you're gone?' Lucy asked as she headed back down the stairs.

'Then the Lifeboat's CPU will tell us, we'll come right back,' Wyatt promised in a gentle voice.

'Wh-what if you get into a sticky history situation and can't history yourself out of it? What are you gonna do without me?' Lucy said desperately.

He wished he knew the answer to that, but he could tell from her evidently increasing anxiety that she needed reassuring, so he simply said with a fond smile, 'I've done my research.'

There was a pause. Lucy shook her head slightly at him, terrified. This was really going to happen. He was going to go in the Lifeboat without her; they would be apart, and the timeline would change, separating them both completely and changing everything between them forever. And she could see from the look in his eyes that there was nothing she could do to stop him.

'What if someone gets hurt?' she asked, her voice shaking slightly.

Wyatt hesitated. 'I'm gonna go back and make sure the killer's parent's never meet.  
That way, he's never born,' he explained in a low voice. 'Nobody's getting hurt.'

He glanced up at her. She was hovering anxiously on the bottom stair, her arm resting on the bannister, her expression a jumbled mess of emotions. Her eyes were rather watery.

'Lucy, Jessica's killer murdered two other women,' Wyatt said, imploring her to see why he _had_ to do this, and he took a few steps towards her. 'My hope is to save all three.'

All Lucy could do was stare at him. She was trying to memorise every feature of his face, those glistening intense blue eyes, those laugh lines, the crinkle between his eyebrows, his sharp jaw, his scruffy tuft of hair. In a few hours, she might not even know that face anymore. And she couldn't bear it, even though she knew what he was planning to do made sense and was _good_ , all laws aside. The selfish part of her wanted to try and convince him to stay, but she would never do that. She couldn't.

'What about Rufus?' she murmured.

'I got him covered,' Wyatt replied.

'What about _you_?' Lucy asked heavily. 'Best case scenario – you get kicked off the team.'

'Yeah, well, whatever happens…it'll be worth it to have Jessica back,' Wyatt said firmly.

A silence hung in the air as the implications of his words resonated in Lucy's mind, and Wyatt immediately wished he could take them back as he saw the light die out of her eyes. Her lips parted and her eyes flickered away from his, unsure how to cope with the sudden onslaught of pain that was attacking her.

'Oh,' she murmured, her bottom lip trembling as she steadied herself and slowly sat down on the bottom stair.

She should have known. He didn't really care about the team or the mission or Rufus or…or her. It wouldn't bother him at all if they never met or worked together again. And it was fair enough – after all, this was his wife. Lucy just hadn't realised just how happy he was to sacrifice literally everything for to get her back.

Wyatt realised as he watched Lucy sink onto the stairs that not only was he breaking her heart; he was also breaking his own heart that Lucy had helped patch back together. For the past few months there had been lingering moments that had made both of them think…'what if?'…but now, with what he had just said, Wyatt had firmly put closure to those thoughts. He was ending that for good, and it pained him more than he could say.

Lucy covered her face with her hands, and Wyatt was horrified to see that she had begun to cry quietly. She hated herself for letting Wyatt see her tears fall over him, but she couldn't help it, because only now was she fully acknowledging that a part of her had indeed been hoping that something romantic was going to happen between them, and she hated herself for wishing it when poor Jessica deserved to be alive and with Wyatt. She wanted Wyatt to be happy, and if that meant preventing Jessica's death, then she wanted nothing more…Lucy just wished it didn't mean it would most likely be the end of whatever special rapport there was between her and Wyatt.

Wyatt stood there helplessly and glanced down at his feet, not knowing what to do. Under different circumstances, he would probably have rushed to Lucy's side and enveloped her in his arms to comfort her…he would have kissed her on the forehead…but then she would have tilted her head up and then her face and those stunning eyes would have been right there and then he would have kissed her lips…

He knew that to be true now, they both did. He wasn't an idiot. He knew deep down that there had been a spark brewing for a long time between the two of them. Any fool would have deduced that months ago, way before even their adventure with Bonnie and Clyde that changed everything between them. He had developed feelings for her, just as he knew she felt the same way about him…and Rufus had only helped him acknowledge this fact truly for the first time this very evening. He had never meant for it to happen, and he had never wanted to hurt her. And now they were both in a hopeless situation. There _was_ a possibility there, just like Lucy had made him see, and he was throwing it away. But it was for Jessica. _His_ Jessica. He was doing the right thing. Wasn't he?

Wyatt fidgeted with his hand anxiously as he looked down at Lucy crying on the stair in front of him, trying to hold back tears himself. 'Are you okay?' he murmured uncomfortably, hating himself for seeing her this upset and knowing he was the cause of it.

Lucy hesitated, waiting for the tears to stop, and once she had stopped crying, she removed her hands from her face and looked up at him from the stair, that familiar mask on her face that he knew so well from their missions when she was pretending to be someone she was not, someone calm and in control, when in reality everything was shattering around her. Lucy was surprised to see that his eyes were also bloodshot and filled with tears.

'What do you need me to do?' she asked, trying to put on a light and breezy tone while ignoring his question; they both knew there was no point in her answering that. She was very far from okay.

Wyatt swallowed and took a second before he next spoke, worried he might also break down. 'I need you to call Agent Christopher. Tell her everything,' he replied softly, a hint of a tremor in his voice as he gazed down at Lucy's forlorn expression. 'Just give me a 20-minute head start – that way, you'll be covered, you won't get in trouble.'

Lucy gave him a rather shaky nod, tears still threatening to leak from her eyes. He was choosing Jessica over everything they had been working towards, everything they had done and built together over the past few months, and it broke Lucy but she could also understand why he was doing it. This was Jessica. 'The love of my life', as Wyatt had once said. Nothing would ever be as important to him as that.

Lucy gulped. 'Why does this feel like we're saying goodbye?' she murmured.

Wyatt sighed and looked down, unable to meet her gaze. He couldn't reassure her. They both knew it probably _was_ goodbye. Just like Rufus had said earlier – if he was successful, there was a chance he would come back to a 2017 where Lucy didn't even know him. When he said nothing, Lucy took a deep breath and got up to her feet to stand directly opposite him. Personal space seemed to have no proper meaning with the two of them anymore. Wyatt's eyes met hers as they both struggled to think of something to say, of how to express just how grateful they were to the other, how much they meant to each other…of how to say goodbye forever.

Lucy reached out and smoothed down his jacket collar gently, before resting her hand there on his chest for a minute, where his heartbeat instantly quickened. 'Good luck, Wyatt,' she said quietly.

Wyatt smiled sadly, longingly, desperately wishing there could be another way he could do this. 'Thank you, ma'am,' he whispered.

Lucy nodded, her lips trembling as she smiled back, lost in his gaze; she had once hated him calling her 'ma'am', but now it had become an affectionate nickname, and she never wanted to be called anything else. Whatever was going to happen tonight on Wyatt's personal mission, the two of them had shared an experience like no other; it was sacred, and they would carry it with them. At least, Wyatt would. As for Lucy…who knew what would happen in this timeline to those who were left behind?

Wyatt then turned around and walked away slowly, leaving Lucy stood there hopelessly on her own in the hallway as he opened the front door. But just as he shut the door behind him, she spoke up. She couldn't bear to leave sight of him just yet, but when she might never see him again.

'Wait – Wyatt?' she called desperately.

The door opened at once, and she was shocked to see that Wyatt's face was contorted in anguish, and there was a tear streak on his cheek.

'I'm sorry, I know you're in a rush, but I just want to know – where are you and Rufus actually headed?' Lucy asked feebly, pulling anxiously on her dressing gown sleeves.

Wyatt smiled as he stepped back into the hallway, closing the door again. 'Toledo, Ohio. 1983.'

'Nice,' Lucy said, raising her eyebrows, as she wiped her eyes. 'I hope you've got yourself a colourful outfit for the occasion.'

'You know me, I never fail on that score,' Wyatt said, walking back over to her, and his lips twitched. 'His parents are a bartender and stewardess, they have a one-night stand.'

'So…all you guys need to do is stop them from having sex,' Lucy said dubiously.

Wyatt shrugged. 'Exactly. Piece of cake.'

Lucy tilted her head at him. 'It's certainly not our normal kind of mission,' she pointed out, and Wyatt smiled, grateful that even in this upsetting moment, they could find a bit of light humour in the situation…but then Lucy's face fell. 'Wyatt, I…if you succeed, if you _do_ get her back…and I really hope that you do, really, but…you do realise…that means things will change.'

There was a slight pause as Wyatt gazed at her.

'Things between us, you mean?'

Lucy felt her heart skip a beat. _Things between us._ There it was, out in the open now for them both to digest. And he'd said it so calmly as well, his tearful eyes never leaving hers, as if it were perfectly normal for them to talk about it. What the hell was she supposed to say in response to that now, when he was about to leave to save his deceased wife?

'I-I…well uh…' Lucy's voice broke, and she cleared her throat nervously. 'Actually I was thinking more specifically about things like, err…Kate Drummond. You wouldn't have formed that bond with her without Jessica's death…so she then wouldn't have helped you locate and diffuse the bomb on the Hindenburg. And the whole thing with Bonnie and Clyde…we wouldn't exactly have pulled it off as some criminal couple with you still being married to Jessica.'

Wyatt frowned; he had been over this already in his head, and this discussion wasn't going to make him feel any better about it. 'What are you saying…are you trying to put me off?' he asked, confused.

'No. Of course not, Wyatt, you know I would never do that. I've got your back, and I'll support you whatever,' Lucy said at once, her tone earnest, and she sighed. 'What I'm saying is…that your version of what happened and what we've done on these missions will soon be very different to my version of what happened. I mean, you know this already, it's just…everything that has happened since we met will shape itself differently if Jessica is alive, it'll create some sort of…I don't know, what would Rufus say…a paradox?'

'I'd thought about that. Rufus said it as well,' Wyatt said heavily. 'You think it's too dangerous?'

'It's a hell of a risk, but since when did that stop us? It's to save your wife, Wyatt, you've got to,' Lucy said, trying to sound encouraging. 'It just means you'll arrive back to a very different timeline and…well I won't remember any of this, as far as I'll be concerned Jessica will always have been alive, you might never have even started working for Mason Industries, and I'll have…no memory of anything that's happened between us. As in, I'll have different memories,' she added hastily. 'The same goes for Agent Christopher, Mason, Jiya…'

Wyatt felt overwhelmed. He'd been trying to repress these thoughts, and instead focussed purely on the important thing – saving Jessica's life. But now Lucy was enlightening him to the severe nature of the consequences that would befall his reckless plan…and it was terrifying.

'How will it happen from your perspective?' Wyatt asked her quietly. 'What d'you think will happen to you when the timeline changes?'

'I don't know,' Lucy replied, trying not to appear as scared as she really was at the thought. 'But only people in the Lifeboat retains memories of events that happened originally, you know that, so…I just might be a bit different, that's all. It's no big deal though.'

Wyatt was silent for a moment.

'So this really is goodbye.' It wasn't a question.

Lucy tilted her head at him sympathetically. 'You have to do it, Wyatt,' she said earnestly, another tear falling as she gazed up at him. 'No guilt, no looking back. It'll change things for the better. Jessica will be alive.'

'But it's not fair of me to change things in your own personal timeline, to change you-'

'Hey,' Lucy interrupted, alarmed by the unusually-upset tone of his voice, and she placed a comforting hand on his chest once more. 'You have my full blessing. It's okay, Wyatt. Really. It's okay.'

Wyatt gazed at her and then drew her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, and he knew then that he never wanted to let her go. He wished he could keep holding her. He wished he could bring her with him and Rufus, so that she would at least remember him as he would always remember her. If she forgot him, if she ended up not even knowing him…then it would make all this seem less real to him. And Wyatt couldn't bear the thought of he and Lucy being so distant, so far apart from each other.

'I never meant to…' he mumbled against her messy hair, but he trailed off, not knowing how to finish his sentence.

'I know. Anything you want to say I already know, okay?' Lucy whispered into his neck, blinking away more tears.

Wyatt closed his eyes as he breathed in her scent. The romantic tension between them had blossomed into something real. And now he had to let her go.

He slowly withdrew his arms from around her. 'I'm sorry,' he murmured in a strangled voice.

Lucy managed a small smile. 'You have nothing to be sorry about.'

They both knew that wasn't true, but Wyatt appreciated the sentiment all the same. She was trying to make this easier for him; she couldn't help the tear-streaks on her face or her bloodshot eyes or her pitiful gaze of despair that gave her true feelings away. Wyatt's hand twitched anxiously; time was ticking, and he wasn't good at doing goodbyes, particularly when it involved bidding farewell to someone who had rapidly become such a special person in his life.

So all he said was, 'I'll be back.'

'I know you will,' Lucy said gently, stroking his arm – this wasn't technically a lie, as she was confident he would be successful…it was just whether or not her new self would appreciate him coming back in the alternate timeline he would inevitably create when saving Jessica.

Lucy wanted to tell him then how she felt then, seeming as it would probably be their last time alone together, but she knew that she had already basically told him in not so many words, and besides, what good would it do? His mind was set on Jessica now.

'You have to go, Wyatt,' Lucy murmured, aware of the time. 'Go on.'

Wyatt smiled with trembling lips as he reached out to hold her cheek for one fraction of a second before nodding at her and turning back to the door. This time, when he shut the front door behind him, Lucy did not call him back. She stared into space for a minute, her whole body tingling and heart racing as she listened to the car drive off outside, when she then heard footsteps on the landing above.

'Lucy? Who was that?'

Lucy sighed; it was her mother upstairs. 'Just a guy from work, Mom, I'm going to have to go in soon, actually,' she replied, hurrying up the stairs to get some clothes on before calling Agent Christopher.

'At this time?!' Carol said incredulously, wrapping her dressing gown around her as Lucy joined her upstairs. 'What could possibly be so urgent that-?'

'Trust me, Mom, it's urgent. I'm sorry we woke you up, just-just go back to sleep, everything's fine,' Lucy said distractedly, hurrying into her bedroom.

'Lucy. What is it, what's wrong?' Carol asked anxiously. 'You look terrible.'

Lucy raised her eyebrows at her. 'Thank you.'

'Is it Noah?'

'No, Mom. It's not Noah,' Lucy replied irritably, picking out a top and jeans from her wardrobe.

Carol sighed exasperatedly. 'I know that look, Lucy, that's the look of a man br-'

'Mom, please stop! I'm fine. Just…can you leave me to sort out my things for work? Please?' Lucy said agitatedly, and she urged her mother out of her room before shutting the door firmly in her face, at last leaving her in peace to cry over the man she had now lost for good and would soon probably never know again.


	19. Meant To Be

**This chapter covers the rest of 1x13, and 1x14 :)**

* * *

'What the hell was Wyatt thinking?'

'I get you're upset,' Lucy muttered as she entered the Mason Industries conference room.

'Upset doesn't touch how pissed I am. I'm fielding calls from the President, for God's sake,' Agent Christopher snapped, livid. 'And Rufus was a hostage? My ass. He was in on it, and so were you, by the way!'

'The minute that Wyatt told me what he was doing, I called you,' Lucy insisted.

'24 minutes after he left, actually,' Agent Christopher said angrily.

Lucy faltered; she hadn't expected that. 'So you're spying on me now?' she said accusingly after a slight hesitation.

'I put a car on your house for your protection, you're welcome,' Agent Christopher replied, a spiteful tone to her voice. 'This is about Wyatt's wife, isn't it? I knew he was fixated on her murder, but this is just so reckless-'

'Can you blame him?' Lucy interrupted sharply. 'I mean, how is he supposed to let Jessica go when, thanks to you, everyday he has to come to work and stare at a damn machine that can go back in time and bring his wife back to life?'

'I thought we were a team,' Agent Christopher said, 'he should've just come to me.'

'Oh, the way that I came to you about Amy?' Lucy challenged, and at this Agent Christopher's face fell. 'You and I had a deal. While I chased Flynn through time, you would be working on getting me my sister back, and how is that going so far?'

'It is not that simple, Lucy-'

'You have done nothing!' Lucy shouted, furious. 'I am not surprised that Wyatt stole the Lifeboat behind your back – I am shocked that he didn't do it sooner. I would steal it myself if I thought it would bring Amy back, and you would do the same for your family.'

Agent Christopher stared at Lucy, breathing deeply; they both knew she was right. To break the tension, Connor Mason then came into the room to call Agent Christopher away for something; she cast Lucy a dark look before turning on her heel and stalking out of the office to follow Mason.

For once, Lucy didn't care that Agent Christopher was angry with her. She'd had a lot of time to reflect over Wyatt's decision for the past hour, and, despite how much it pained her, Lucy knew now that she could never have expected anything less of Wyatt – it was right, for Jessica and for himself and his own mental state, that he had done this. And Lucy was glad that he had personally gone to her to tell her his plan, to show how much he cared by not getting her directly involved. It meant she could forgive him for whatever was going to change in herself and this timeline once he had done what he needed to do to save Jessica.

When Lucy had first met Wyatt, he had put on a good front as some heartless, brave soldier, but really he had been a broken, unhinged, desperate man who had been torturing himself for almost five years – and despite his improvements, despite how much he had changed over the past few months, there was no way he was ever going to forgive himself for his wife's death. He had been holding onto the thought of Jessica, of the possibility that this time machine presented him with an incredible opportunity to get her back, and he couldn't let it go. And now he was doing what he had always needed to do, from the moment he'd first set foot in the Lifeboat. And Lucy admired him for it.

The hours ticked by slowly as they waited anxiously for the Lifeboat to return, but luckily they were distracted by a phone call from none other than Flynn's accomplice, Anthony Bruhl, who spoke over the phone to Lucy, claiming he wanted to meet face-to-face to 'end all of this, for good'. After a lengthy debate on whether or not this was going to turn out to be a trap, Lucy agreed to take the risk – she couldn't ignore the chance that they might be able to stop this mess with Flynn and Rittenhouse.

Jiya led her away from the operations lab to prepare Lucy and get a tracker ready for her meeting with Anthony. As they walked down the corridor, Jiya glanced anxiously at Lucy; she looked tired, and her forehead was creased in concern.

'You worried about Wyatt, huh?' Jiya said sympathetically.

Lucy sighed. 'I feel like I spend most days worrying about him.'

'I wish you could have seen him when Flynn kidnapped you last month,' Jiya said, smiling slightly, as they headed up some steps.

'What do you mean?' Lucy asked, frowning.

'Well, when Wyatt and Rufus came back…they had to wait for about five or six hours for the Lifeboat to charge until they could go to find you at the world's fair in Chicago, and…Wyatt was just…a complete mess,' Jiya replied, and Lucy raised her eyebrows at her sceptically.

'I'm sure that's-'

'No, Lucy, I'm not exaggerating. I'm serious,' Jiya said earnestly, as they stopped walking beside the door to the office, and she touched Lucy's arm. 'You mean the world to him.'

'Jessica means the world to him,' Lucy corrected her calmly. 'That's why he's risked everything to get her back.'

Jiya stared at her in amazement. 'And you're seriously not bitter about that? I would be. Hell, I _am_.'

Lucy didn't answer, and followed Jiya silently into the office. They were quiet as Jiya got together her equipment and began to set up a tracker, while Lucy hovered beside her restlessly. It took a minute for Lucy to notice that Jiya's fingers were shaking as she tried to sort out the tracker.

'Sorry,' Jiya muttered, laughing nervously. 'Tricky little bugger.'

'You okay?' Lucy asked, watching her carefully.

'Yeah – what? – yeah I'm fine,' Jiya replied distractedly. 'Well, except that my boyfriend took off on an unauthorized, illegal trip to 1983 and didn't bother to tell me, so…'

Lucy felt awful; she had never even really considered what Jiya must have been feeling. 'I'm sure that he was just trying to protect you,' she murmured.

'Oh, that is such crap,' Jiya said irritably, sighing, and when Lucy said nothing, Jiya approached her to attach the small tracker behind Lucy's ear. 'If you care about someone, if you trust someone, if you…might even love someone…you tell them something like this.'

She smiled sadly at Lucy, before going to her laptop to bring the tracker online. She didn't seem to realise how much of an impact her words had had on Lucy.

'Yeah…' Lucy murmured, a thoughtful frown on her face.

'Sorry, um…' Jiya cleared her throat as she typed away on her laptop, embarrassed by how she'd let Lucy see her so vulnerable like this. 'So…how'd you find out the guys were gone?'

There was a long hesitation as Lucy glanced awkwardly to the side. 'Wyatt…told me,' she admitted quietly, turning away to hide her blush and so she couldn't see the look on Jiya's face.

Jiya stopped typing and looked up at Lucy in amazement, her words hanging in the air between them. _'…If you…might even love someone…you tell them something like this.'_

'Before,' Lucy went on, refusing to meet Jiya's half-shocked, half-amused gaze as she pulled on her coat and scarf. 'You know, I had to buy him some time and…he had to tell me. You know?'

'Right,' Jiya said slowly, unconvinced.

Lucy nodded, wishing Jiya would stop giving her such a knowing smile. 'Right.'

Jiya didn't know what to say. If she broached on the subject, then it would only complicate matters – after all, Wyatt had gone back to save his wife. But that didn't change the fact that Wyatt had told Lucy about it before, that he had felt close enough to her to do that. And that didn't change the plainly obvious fact that Lucy was harbouring deep feelings for him…and that they were perhaps slightly reciprocated. Before Jiya had time to attempt to comfort Lucy about this awkward situation, however, Agent Christopher then entered the room.

'Tracker all set?' she asked.

'Yeah, she's ready,' Jiya replied at once.

'Um, our people will be seconds away if you're in any trouble at all,' Agent Christopher said calmly, before leading the way out of the room.

'Okay,' Lucy murmured, nodding determinedly as she put on her gloves.

Jiya watched Lucy with concern in her eyes. 'Are you okay?' she asked gently.

'Could be worse. Could be the French and Indian War,' Lucy replied, pretending that she hadn't understood what Jiya was getting at, and with that she followed Agent Christopher out of the room, Jiya watching her go with a sympathetic expression on her face.

Lucy met with Anthony not long afterwards, who revealed to her that Rittenhouse was losing more control every year, and were determined to attack key moments in time until they got a reality in their own brand new image – Flynn was the only one standing in their way of nuking history to the point of destruction. Anthony therefore planned to destroy the Mothership in Oakland, and asked Lucy if Rufus would blow up the Lifeboat too, so that Rittenhouse could be stopped once and for all. Lucy discussed the matter with Agent Christopher, and they agreed that these machines were too dangerous for their own good, and so Anthony's idea seemed the only logical solution – they needed to destroy the Lifeboat, once Lucy had used it to try and get Amy back, and they needed to keep the plan secret from everyone else, especially Connor Mason. They couldn't trust Mason at all, not when he was working willingly with Rittenhouse, and Agent Christopher showed Lucy some photographs of Mason meeting with a Rittenhouse agent to prove it…only it wasn't just any old Rittenhouse agent – the man in the photograph was Lucy's biological father, Benjamin Cahill.

Lucy didn't have long to process this terrifying information, however – by the time they had returned to Mason Industries and got up the articles on Jessica's death and her killer ready, waiting for them to change at any moment, the Lifeboat then materialized with a fierce gust of wind right before their eyes.

They were back.

As alarms blared and the Homeland Security agents rushed forward to the Lifeboat with their guns ready, Lucy's momentary relief disappeared as she frowned over at Jiya, confused. Something was wrong. Her memories were the same. She could still remember Wyatt talking to her about Jessica's death, she could remember him coming to her house that night. She glanced down at the articles on the tablet in her hand. Nothing had changed.

'Oh dear God, no,' she murmured, her eyes widening as she glanced over to the Lifeboat, where the capsule door was opening.

Jiya grimaced. 'Jessica's still…'

'Wyatt,' Lucy whispered in despair, and she hurried down the steps towards the Lifeboat as Wyatt emerged, a look of anticipation on his face, with his hands held up in surrender.

'Hands where I can see 'em,' one of the agents was ordering, his gun directed at Wyatt.

'Oh, okay. Hey, cool, cool, cool,' Rufus said nervously as he emerged from behind Wyatt and followed him down the metal steps, and his eyes widened in alarm as one of the agents cuffed Wyatt's wrists together behind his back. 'Everything's cool, all right? He brought it back, okay? No harm, right?'

'Is that really necessary?' Lucy demanded, turning back to Agent Christopher as she gestured the aggressive handling of Wyatt, who seemed totally resigned and unbothered by the situation.

'Give them a minute,' Agent Christopher ordered the other agents loudly, and Lucy rushed up to Wyatt, her face filled with anguish.

'What happened?' she asked.

But Wyatt's eyes were alight with joy. 'Tell me about Jessica,' he said breathlessly.

Lucy looked despairingly from Wyatt to Rufus; they both looked drained and traumatised and were drenched in either sweat or rain, she couldn't tell, but one thing was certainly clear – they had been through hell to do this. And their expressions were so hopeful. Lucy's eyes flickered down to the tablet, the article on the discovery of Jessica's body glaring up at her. She wished she could just sink through the floor, anything to avoid having to tell Wyatt this, anything to not have to crush his dreams and hopes.

'I'm so sorry, uh…Jessica's still dead,' Lucy replied in a low voice, shaking her head helplessly, and Wyatt's smile faded. 'They never found her killer.'

'What?' Wyatt asked, disbelieving, a shocked expression on his face.

'I'm so sorry,' Lucy whispered sincerely, wishing there was something she could do.

'No, that's not possible,' Wyatt said firmly, as Rufus struggled against one of the agents' holds to look over at the tablet in Lucy's hands to see for himself. 'No, something doesn't seem right. That-that doesn't make any sense.'

'The other two women Gilliam killed, they're alive. We saved them, just…not Jessica,' Rufus said, crushed, as he looked up from the tablet at Wyatt.

Wyatt's face seemed to have frozen in a state of horror and confusion. 'No, that…n-no, but he said he did it, so that doesn't…no, he's…he said he killed my wife,' he said desperately in a small voice, glancing from Rufus to Lucy with tear-filled eyes.

The pain in his eyes, the sheer look of despair and disbelief, nearly broke Lucy.

'I know, I know,' Lucy murmured, wishing she could take him in her arms so she could console him…but then the Homeland Security agents began moving around them.

'Wyatt, you need to go,' Agent Christopher called over.

'That doesn't make any sense. No, no, no. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. No, no,' Wyatt protested as the agents began to escort him away, his face contorted with grief and panic and agony as he struggled against their firm hold and called imploringly to Lucy. 'No, no, no, no, she's alive, guys, _please_! Just hold a second! No, she is alive! No, she has to be! Wait, wait! No, please! She has to be alive! Jessica's alive!'

Lucy could only watch helplessly, lost for words, as she watched Wyatt be taken away into custody, tears falling down his cheeks as he shouted despairingly after them, and her heart broke for him. He had done and sacrificed everything, going to recklessly dangerous extremes to save his wife, and it had all been for nothing. He had willingly compromised his soul for the woman he had loved, and he still hadn't been able to save her. All he had managed to achieve was to re-experience the emotional turmoil of his worst moment in his life.

Lucy wanted Rufus to tell her everything that had happened in Ohio…but then there came the news that Anthony Bruhl had been murdered by Flynn before he had gotten a chance to blow up the Mothership, as planned. They had missed their opportunity. Lucy wanted to comfort Rufus in his grief and try and get involved with Agent Christopher's planning on what the next step was, but all she could think of Wyatt.

Where had he been taken? What was he thinking right now? What was going to happen to him?

* * *

When they removed the bag from Wyatt's head the next day, he looked around at the chamber, unimpressed. Agent Christopher was sat opposite him, her expression deadly.

'Two lefts from headquarters, 30 minutes on the freeway, and four gravel roundabouts. That should put us somewhere in the…National Park,' Wyatt said thoughtfully. 'Smart place for a black site.'

'You stole a time machine, Wyatt. We can't exactly throw you in county jail,' Agent Christopher said exasperatedly.

'Hey,' Wyatt murmured to her, leaning across the table. 'You think you could, uh…slip me a snorkel before the waterboarding starts?'

Agent Christopher frowned at him. 'I am seriously pissed at you, but I put in a call to Sam Dwyer. He's a JAG defence lawyer, a good one.'

Wyatt leaned back in his chair. 'I don't want a defence,' he said dismissively, looking down at his lap. 'I deserve this.'

Agent Christopher considered him for a moment then got up from her chair. 'Good luck,' she said, and with that she exited the chamber.

Once she had left, Wyatt stared down at the cuffs that attached him to the table and sighed heavily as his lips trembled, trying desperately not to cry. He knew he ought to get used to a sight like this room – dark, dingy, cold, lonely…it was going to be like this for many years to come now that he had been arrested and detained.

It took half an hour of silent contemplation until Wyatt finally let the tears fall.

 _What have I done?_

The grief washed over him as Jessica's face filled Wyatt's mind, and the day went by in a blur while Wyatt cried and let himself succumb to his anguish, the guards occasionally calling in to bring him food or release him for bathroom breaks. There was no bed or cot, and the guards didn't uncuff him from the table, so he was forced to try and sleep on his chair that night. As the hours slowly went by and Wyatt tried but failed to let his exhaustion consume him as he rested his head on the table, he found himself inexplicably wishing he could speak to Lucy. He wondered if she would visit him once he had been settled in some prison cell in a secure location. He hoped she would. No, he _knew_ she would.

Wyatt couldn't help but think back to his last proper conversation with her, in the lit hallway of her lovely house…it seemed so long ago now, and yet it had only been around two days. The pain in her face stood out vividly in his mind, and Wyatt wished he had been more sensitive when telling her his careless plan; it still hurt him to remember how Lucy had sunk to the bottom stair with her face in her hands to hide her tears. Her tremoring voice was still ringing through his mind… _'What are you gonna do without me?'_ Right now, he had no answer for her question. In his grief and anger and despair and self-loathing, Wyatt needed Lucy more than ever, and he felt lost without her. And he hated himself for tossing her and Rufus aside like he had, for abandoning them and prioritising his own selfish need to go on a dangerous mission that had always been doomed to fail. He wondered if Lucy would ever come to forgive him for his actions. He certainly hoped so; he didn't know what he would do if she didn't.

It came as a huge surprise to Wyatt in the afternoon of the next day when he received another visit from Agent Christopher; he hadn't expected to ever see her again after yesterday. It shocked him even more when she revealed that she had been fired from her post at Mason Industries and would soon be reassigned to a new project elsewhere; a man called Agent Neville and his colleagues had taken over instead…and Wyatt was more than horrified at this news.

'This thing feels organized. It feels coordinated. They had to have been planning this thing for weeks,' Wyatt said ominously, once she had explained what had happened. 'This is a coup.'

Agent Christopher gazed back at him in alarm as she took in his words. 'You know, I think you might be right,' she murmured, unusually shaken.

'And if I am, that means all the original staff who are still there could be in danger, they'll be being watched. Where are Lucy and Rufus, are they there now?' Wyatt asked apprehensively.

Agent Christopher hesitated, looking extremely uncomfortable. Wyatt's nostrils flared at once and he banged his fists against the cuffs fixing him to the table agitatedly, panic beginning to seep in now.

'Agent Christopher, where are Lucy and Rufus?' he repeated loudly.

'They're on a mission,' Agent Christopher replied reluctantly.

Wyatt's eyes widened in horror. 'What?!' he whispered, too worried to even shout.

'Flynn took the Mothership out to Paris, May the 21st, 1927,' Agent Christopher explained, irritated by his tone.

'And you let them go after him?!' Wyatt said incredulously.

'Ordinary life doesn't just stop because you made the selfish decision to put their lives and jobs in jeopardy, Wyatt,' Agent Christopher said loudly, exasperated, as she sat down on the chair opposite him. 'And give me some credit, I would never have just let them take out the Lifeboat without protection – we've got Master Sergeant Dave Baumgardner as your replacement.'

Wyatt fell silent for a moment, and his fingers twitched. He didn't know what to think or what to feel. Now, due to his reckless mistake, Lucy and Rufus were out there on a mission without him…and even though he had always known deep down that this would end up happening as a result of his behaviour, he just couldn't bear it. Yes, Dave was very good at his job, but he wouldn't protect Lucy half as well as Wyatt could, because, well, he didn't care as much. Lucy didn't mean as much to him. What if something happened to her? Wyatt would never be able to forgive himself.

Wyatt sighed. 'Dave. He's good. A much better man than me,' he murmured, and he smiled sadly. 'Lucy will prefer him.'

'Oh, cut the crap, we both know that's not true,' Agent Christopher said sharply. 'Anyway, I'm not here to discuss your messy love life-'

'"Messy", wow,' Wyatt said wryly, 'you don't think that's a little harsh to talk about my still-dead wife in that way?'

'I wasn't talking about you and Jessica,' Agent Christopher said with raised eyebrows, and Wyatt frowned across the table at her, stunned. 'But we've got more important things to worry about, Wyatt, your old team are in safe hands – if you're right, and this _is_ a coup, then I might have an idea who's really behind it. I've been doing a little digging myself – look at this, it's been outside headquarters a few times.'

Agent Christopher then pulled out a blue file from the inside pocket of her blazer jacket. Wyatt opened the file to see that inside were photographs of a shiny black limo, in the familiar car park of Mason Industries.

He frowned, confused. 'So you've seen this limo at Mason Industries, so what?'

'Because I realized I've seen it before, and the Rittenhouse guy who owns it – he's the one Mason's been meeting in secret,' Agent Christopher explained, and she showed him another photograph; the one of Benjamin Cahill stood by the limo.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows at her. 'This is the creep that's been threatening Rufus?'

'Yeah.'

'That means…Rittenhouse is in control of Mason Industries…and the Lifeboat…' Wyatt said, and as he straightened up in his chair, his eyes widened, full of dread. 'And Lucy and Rufus.'

Wyatt had been right to worry about Lucy; it wasn't just Rufus who was in danger from Rittenhouse…she was as well. And he had completely abandoned them.

'And there's something else,' Agent Christopher murmured, pointing her finger at the man in the photograph. 'That guy…is Lucy's biological father.'

Wyatt stared at her, alarmed. 'What? Does she know?' he asked, concerned.

He vividly remembered talking to Lucy all those months ago in the wardrobe dock about how scared she had been to go and meet her biological father. She had been so nervous and afraid, wondering what would be on the other side of that door. Little had she known…

 _Oh God, Lucy._ She wasn't safe at all. Not one bit. And there was nothing Wyatt could do to protect her, and it was all his fault.

'She just found out. Wyatt, these sons of bitches are getting more and more brazen, we have to do something,' Agent Christopher said urgently.

Wyatt sat back and shook his head helplessly, completely defeated. 'Well, there's nothing I can do about it in here,' he murmured.

Agent Christopher sighed and handed over a document from the file across the table to him. 'This is the confession they want me to get you to sign,' she said, removing the documents' paperclip. 'You could sign it and vanish down some black hole for a couple of years, or you could fight this.'

Wyatt barely suppressed a groan.

'Just think about what Lucy and Rufus are coming back to before you make your decision,' Agent Christopher went on imploringly.

'Think about what? I let them down,' Wyatt mumbled angrily. 'I let Jessica down…'

'I know you feel-'

'No, you don't,' Wyatt snapped, and Agent Christopher fell silent as he leaned forward, his voice shaking and his eyes glistening with tears as he spoke. 'Because either Flynn was lying to me about who killed my wife, or he wasn't, and fate wanted her dead anyway. Wrap your head around that for a minute – that the universe…or God…wanted the one person that I love most in this world…to be dead.'

It was taking him every bit of effort not to break down into noisy sobs once more, and despite his clear distress, Agent Christopher seemed completely unperturbed; in fact, she appeared almost more encouraged by his emotional state.

'Maybe the universe is saying there's something else you have to do first. Maybe you're not meant to be here,' she said brightly, smiling. 'Maybe you're meant to be…helping your friends.'

Wyatt looked down, shaking his head slightly. A tear trickled down his cheek as he thought once more of Lucy gazing at him in her hallway, full of despair and longing and regret. He had hurt her, and she was now in danger from Rittenhouse. And he was powerless to remedy either of those things.

'How do I do that now?' he asked Agent Christopher, another tear falling.

Before she could answer, the heavy metal door of the chamber opened and one of the guards entered – it was time for Agent Christopher to leave.

She sighed heavily as she got up from her chair. 'I don't know,' she murmured, and she deliberately dropped the paperclip from the document onto the table before giving him a meaningful look. 'I will let them know you won't be signing the confession.'

The moment she and the guard had left, the door locking firmly shut behind them, Wyatt picked up the paperclip. He could escape with this – he knew it, and Agent Christopher knew it (after all, why else had she left it behind?), but Wyatt wasn't exactly full of motivation right now. Even two days later, he was still traumatised and shaken by his last trip out in the Lifeboat, and he had been so resigned to accept whatever punishment they had in store for him so he could escape his miserable reality and retreat into a shell-like, empty existence where only his memories of the good old days with Jessica would keep him going.

But then suddenly he could picture Lucy, her hands clutching his face firmly, her eyes pleading and full of desperation…' _I don't want anybody else. Look, I – trust – you. You are the one that I trust. Rufus needs you. I need you._ '

Wyatt sighed as he wiped his tears away. He had lost Jessica, the woman he loved, _again_. He had failed to get her back, and it destroyed him…but he needed to push that agonising pain and self-hatred away, because he knew he couldn't give up on everything. If he did, then he would be betraying Lucy and Rufus, the only two people that meant anything to him now. And he couldn't abandon them, particularly not Lucy, when she had helped him break out of his shell to slowly turn back into the person he had once loved being. He owed everything to her now. And it was this thought, more than anything, that made Wyatt set to work undoing his cuffs with the paperclip. It was time to stop wallowing in self-pity and despair and fury.

It was time to get back to Lucy and Rufus.

* * *

'If he managed to get out without being caught, and got my message, then he should be here anytime now,' Agent Christopher said, glancing at her watch.

Lucy bit her lip anxiously as she looked up at the steps to the back-entrance. She, Agent Christopher and Rufus had been waiting in this abandoned warehouse in Oakland for around twenty minutes. After realising that Mason Industries had been taken over by new agents once they had returned from their mission in Paris, they had figured it would be best to hold their secret meetings somewhere a little more distant and private.

'You don't think it was putting him more at risk?' Lucy said anxiously. 'If he got caught escaping, then God knows what they'll do to him-'

'This is Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan we're talking about here,' Agent Christopher reminded Lucy, and she tilted her head at her. 'I thought you had more faith in him, Lucy.'

'I _do_ , I just…' She trailed off agitatedly, unable to bear the thought of Wyatt on the run.

'He'll be all right, Lucy, he's got out of tight spots before,' Rufus said reassuringly.

'I know, I know…' Lucy murmured, and, clenching her fists, she walked over to the other end of the warehouse, her face creased up with worry.

Rufus made to follow her but Agent Christopher stopped him. 'Leave her,' she advised in a low voice, and Rufus sat down on one of the boxes, breathing deeply.

They only had to wait another five minutes when they heard the door swing open from the top of the steps. Lucy spun around fearfully, her heart racing. And then she saw him, trudging down the steps and walking over to them with a tired, heavy expression on his face, and it was in that moment that Lucy realised she loved this man more than she had ever thought could be possible.

Wyatt didn't really look in the mood for a happy reunion, but Lucy didn't care – she hurried up to him, nearly tripping over her heels as she did so, and flung her arms around him.

'Hey,' she whispered in relief, pressing her cheek against his and closing her tearful eyes as she held onto him tightly. 'You're okay.'

Wyatt hugged Lucy back fiercely, surprised by the gesture and by how much she cared, and overcome with relief as he too closed his eyes and buried his head in her shoulder. For the first time since stepping out of the Lifeboat…for one blissful moment…he felt a brief surge of happiness as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, gripping her back and holding her close to him. She was safe. She was here. Everything almost seemed like it was going to be okay now that he knew that, now that they were all back together after the chaos of the past few days.

Realising that the hug had lasted way longer than any platonic hug should, Lucy reluctantly released her hold of Wyatt and backed away, and he returned her small smile.

'Boy, we really could've used you,' Rufus murmured, gazing at Wyatt in relief and amazement. 'We tried-'

'You didn't have a choice,' Wyatt interrupted firmly, understanding.

'I knew you'd make it out of there,' Agent Christopher said, smiling, and Wyatt nodded before glancing around at the warehouse suspiciously. 'Don't worry, I swept for bugs. The place is clean for now.'

Wyatt then sighed as he looked at Lucy, who was gazing down at the floor. Her eyeshadow and lipstick from the mission today was still pristine, although her flapper hairstyle was tumbling out of its curls somewhat.

'Lucy,' he murmured softly and she looked up at him, 'I heard about your father. I'm so sorry. But you know that dick's got nothing to do with you, right?'

Lucy attempted a feeble smile as she looked back down and ran a hand through her hair. Wyatt continued to watch her anxiously as Agent Christopher began to talk; he could tell that Lucy was hiding her true despair about her father's secret background, and it was only going to be a matter of time before her feelings on the matter would implode.

'Okay, guys, I'm afraid it gets worse,' Agent Christopher said wearily. 'The agents in control of Mason Industries – they're Rittenhouse.'

'What?!' Rufus said incredulously, as Lucy turned away in disbelief, not wanting to hear this. 'Jiya's there right now!'

'Maybe that's a good thing, somebody working with us on the inside,' Agent Christopher said.

Lucy was shaking her head frantically as Agent Christopher spoke, breathing deeply and trying not to panic; Wyatt put a hand on her shoulder briefly to try and calm her, giving her a sympathetic smile. Something changed in him in that moment as he watched Lucy in her distress. He didn't want to see her like that, he didn't want her to feel like she did, he didn't want her in danger. And he was going to do something about it.

'A good thing? This is Rittenhouse we're talking about. They could kill her!' Rufus said furiously.

'Guys, it's okay,' Wyatt murmured, removing his hand from Lucy.

'So what, Rufus and I, we're just supposed to go to work like nothing's happening?' Lucy demanded, almost hysterically.

'Yes!' Wyatt said firmly, and Lucy looked up at him in shock as he said more quietly, 'Yeah, it's gonna be okay.'

Lucy looked from Rufus and back to Wyatt, stunned. 'How can you be so calm right now?' she asked him, perplexed.

'Because I've been through a lot in the last couple days,' Wyatt said slowly, his eyes watering as he gazed back at Lucy, 'and I fought it for a long time – you can call it fate…or God…or the Force – but I am meant to do something. I am _meant_ to protect the both of you. I see that now. And I will.'

Lucy stared at him for a moment, alarmed by the emotion in his voice, her heart racing at his words. Gazing at the tears in his eyes now, she could vividly remember something he had once said to her almost a year ago now, not long after they had first met _…'I don't believe in "meant to be", though…or fate…or anything like that.'_ He had changed so much since then. And Lucy saw clearly now that he cared for them so much as well. They were more than just co-workers, they were more than just a team. They were family. And Lucy loved him all the more for opening up to that so willingly now.

'You realize you sound like a crazy person, right?' she said, trying to keep a casual persona.

'Mm-hmm,' Rufus agreed, bemused.

Wyatt glanced away for a fraction of a second, embarrassed, before turning back to grin at her. 'I sound like you,' he said indignantly.

Lucy smiled, her eyes welling up with tears. 'Exactly,' she whispered, amazed, and he smiled briefly back at her, shaken by how unexpectedly thrilled he was to be back in her company since that terrible mistake of leaving her house that night three days ago.

Jessica's death had broken him completely, and trying but failing to get her back after being without her and living with that guilt for so long had nearly destroyed Wyatt just as deeply. But now there was this beautiful, incredibly smart and caring woman stood opposite him, offering him loyalty, support and devoted friendship that he knew would never waver after everything they had been through together. And she was slowly but surely putting those broken pieces in him back together. With Lucy, for the first time in five years since his wife's death – and even after the tragic events of the other day – Wyatt felt alive. And that had to mean something, right?

* * *

 **So I've somehow gone over 100,000 words on this story :o so I'd just like to say sorry for my inability to write concisely and also thank you so much for everyone who has stuck with it and kept reading it! Your kind reviews and messages really mean a lot and encourage me to keep going, so thank you :)**


	20. One Problem At A Time

**This chapter covers 1x15 :)**

* * *

'You didn't have to do this, you know,' Wyatt murmured.

'Of course I did,' Lucy replied, smiling back at him.

He looked around fondly at the camp bed she had helped him set up, the portable heater, the bag of food, the spare clothes and toiletries, all of which she had bought from a nearby supermarket. Rufus and Agent Christopher had left about half an hour ago, but Lucy had insisted on staying to help Wyatt get as settled as he possibly could…which was particularly hard for a fugitive hiding out in an abandoned warehouse.

'I just wish I could do more,' Lucy went on, frowning miserably at Wyatt's new home. 'If it weren't for my mom, I'd just let you stay over at my house-'

'No, you wouldn't, because Rittenhouse are watching all of you,' Wyatt said firmly. 'It's risky enough you even being _here_. I appreciate it, Lucy, really, but…I can't put you in danger like that, I'm on the run from the cops _and_ from Rittenhouse, I'm not going anywhere near your place.'

Lucy pursed her lips, annoyed. 'Fine. I'm not gonna keep arguing with you about it.'

'Good,' Wyatt said, half-smiling in amusement at the disgruntled expression on her face. 'Now sit down and eat something with me.'

As they ate their way through the food she had brought him, Lucy told Wyatt about everything he had missed since being taken into custody. She went over their mission to Paris, and recounted how Master Sergeant David Baumgardner, his old colleague from the Delta Force, had been shot dead by one of Flynn's henchmen. Wyatt took the news relatively well – after all, he had gotten so used to pain and grief over the past few days that he felt almost numb from feeling it – and gently moved the topic of conversation on to talk to Lucy about her father.

Her face fell the moment he mentioned his name. 'I spoke to him.'

'What?'

'Yeah, I went to see him…before the Paris mission today,' Lucy admitted sadly. 'He told me Rittenhouse is in my blood. It's my…destiny or whatever.'

'Don't listen to him. You cannot let that bastard get to you, all right?' Wyatt said urgently. 'Lucy, you're an amazing person, you are a _good_ person. You're not one of them.'

'You don't know that, Wyatt, you just see the best in me,' Lucy mumbled.

'I see the real you,' Wyatt corrected her, his voice soft and his words causing butterflies to somersault in Lucy's stomach.

Lucy looked up at him with tearful eyes and smiled, and he gazed back at her, never wanting to look away. Then she reached out and placed her hand over his wrist.

'Wyatt, I…Rufus told me what happened in Ohio the other day,' she said quietly.

'You mean that I killed an innocent man,' Wyatt said.

Lucy frowned at his tone. 'You didn't kill him, the storm killed him.'

'But he'd never have been outside if it wasn't for me losing my mind like that. I was so reckless,' he said irritably, sighing, but then his lips twitched. 'Bet it's music to your ears to hear me admit that.'

Lucy tilted her head at him. 'No. Maybe it would have been once, but now I…Wyatt, I'm…I'm so sorry for what you're going through. I can't even begin to imagine. And I know the last thing you want to do is talk about it, but I'm here if you need…well, anything.'

Wyatt looked at her and began to shake his head slowly, a bemused half-smile on his face. 'I don't deserve you, you know,' he murmured softly.

'What do you mean?' Lucy asked, her voice shaking with nerves slightly; his tender gaze was overwhelming her.

'You're…you've been so supportive about this, even when I've been such a self-centred jerk about it. You should be mad at me,' Wyatt said indignantly, and he ignored her when she opened her mouth to protest. 'No, Lucy, I'm serious. I messed things up for the team, I abandoned you and Rufus and that ended up in Dave getting killed, an innocent guy ended up dead because of me, I risked changing the timeline in ways I can't even...'

'You did what anyone else would have done in your situation, Wyatt. And you need to stop blaming yourself for everything,' Lucy said earnestly. 'Seriously. It won't do you any good.'

Wyatt smiled amusedly at her. 'Yes, ma'am,' he said, and Lucy laughed. 'What?'

'Just…I couldn't let Dave call me 'ma'am' on the mission,' she admitted.

'Nothing new there,' Wyatt said, shrugging, and she realised that he didn't understand what she'd meant at all…he didn't know he was the only one who could call her that now.

' _I thought your guy was Wyatt.'_

Lucy blinked rapidly as she tried to shake Flynn's voice from the mission today out of her head. Even a rogue terrorist could see through her, and it was terrifying her that her feelings were becoming more and more difficult to hide. Wyatt smiled sadly at the look on her face.

'C'mon, you need to get going,' he said gently.

Lucy blushed. 'S-sorry, I didn't mean to-'

'No, I don't want you to go,' Wyatt reassured her, smiling, 'I just…'

'You're not a burden, Wyatt,' Lucy said, frowning. 'I can stay.'

Wyatt wanted nothing more than for her to keep him company. He couldn't bear to be alone, not when he was feeling so broken, so full of despair. But he also knew he couldn't bear for Lucy to be in harm's way or associated with him in any way if the authorities found his location.

'It's not safe here,' he pointed out in a low voice.

Lucy scoffed. 'It's not safe anywhere for any of us now.'

'You know that's true, it's not like you're gonna get abducted in your mom's house, is it?' Wyatt said, his lips twitching, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

'You make a fair point,' she admitted, and she rose up from the camp bed.

'This was nice, though,' Wyatt said, standing up too. 'Thank you for…being with me and getting all this stuff, you really shouldn't have…'

Lucy smiled warmly at him. 'Anytime. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah? I think Agent Christopher said to meet here at nine.'

'Well that won't be a problem for me, I'm not going anywhere,' Wyatt said, and she grinned at him.

'Goodnight, Wyatt,' she said, brushing his arm briefly before heading towards the exit.

'Goodnight, Lucy. Text me when you're home, okay?' Wyatt called after her anxiously, and Lucy turned back to nod and smile reassuringly at him before heading up the steps, leaving Wyatt alone in the warehouse.

He sank back onto the camp bed the moment the door had clanged shut behind Lucy, and breathed in the smell of her floral perfume that still lingered in the spot where she had been sat beside him. Smiling fondly to himself, Wyatt then got out the new cell phone that Agent Christopher had provided him with, knowing that he would never be able to sleep until he knew Lucy was safe, and waited patiently for her text.

* * *

When Lucy and Rufus were summoned into work a few days later, they were horrified when Agent Neville broke the news of their amended assignment. Their job was now to travel to Houston in 1962, to erase Garcia Flynn from existence by killing his younger, innocent mother. Lucy and Rufus tried to refuse, but were warned that if they did, they would be charged with aiding and abetting a wanted terrorist, and so they were left with no choice but to go with their newest team member, Sergeant Major Caleb Sullivan, into the Lifeboat.

As Rufus set up the engines ready to travel, Lucy found herself fumbling rather nervously with her seatbelts - she nearly asked Sullivan to help strap her in, but his rude manner was off-putting...and anyway, it wasn't his job to buckle her into her seat. Only Wyatt could do that. It was their thing now.

When they landed in Houston, Lucy and Rufus carried out Wyatt's proposed plan with surprising ease - Rufus turned around and shot Sullivan with a tranquiliser gun; Lucy anxiously grabbed Sullivan's pistol from his jacket pocket and held it up to him right as he collapsed onto her lap, unconscious. She tried to control her panicked breathing as Rufus reset the coordinates to land back in 2017, but it was difficult...they were breaking the law, stealing the time machine, going against every principle Lucy had ever held...her whole life had been completely shattered by this job.

'You can do it, guys, think of all you've done since we first met, it'll be easy,' Wyatt had said to them both encouragingly earlier that morning.

'Threatening a soldier with a gun, though?' Lucy had said doubtfully, exchanging a nervous glance with Rufus.

'He should already be knocked out by that point, you'll be fine. Trust me,' Wyatt had said earnestly, and he'd sighed. 'Look…if you'd rather stick with this new guy and get on with the mission at hand, then I completely understand…I can't ask you to break the law for me.'

'Don't be ridiculous. We want you with us. There's only you, Wyatt,' Lucy had said firmly, and the smiles they had shared firmly marked the end of that little debate.

Wyatt had appeared confident and reassuring at the time when telling Lucy and Rufus what to do at the time...but now, waiting in the warehouse in Oakland with Agent Christopher, Wyatt found himself getting steadily more anxious.

'Rufus's virus should have kicked into the software at headquarters now,' Agent Christopher announced heavily, glancing at her watch. 'They won't be able to trace the Lifeboat.'

Wyatt frowned. 'So they should be here any second. Or they should already be here-'

'They will be. Quit worrying,' Agent Christopher said, a little irritably; she was fed up of Wyatt's agitated twitching and worrying, as it wasn't exactly doing much to help her own nerves.

'God, I wish I'd gone over it more with them,' Wyatt said, grimacing as he ran a hand through his hair. 'What if the new guy fights back?'

'No one can fight a tranquiliser, Wyatt, relax. She'll be absolutely fine,' Agent Christopher said calmly.

'But what if she-' But then Wyatt broke off, realising what Agent Christopher had just said, and he frowned at the insinuation. 'Wait, what, I'm talking about Lucy _and_ Rufus, I-'

'Yes, yes, whatever,' Agent Christopher interrupted, rolling her eyes exasperatedly at him.

She glanced at her cell phone as Wyatt paced around, but then to their relief, a great gust of wind that nearly blew them backwards announced that the Lifeboat had arrived. As the machine rumbled and whirred, Wyatt and Agent Christopher both got out their guns and rushed up to the capsule as the door slid open.

'It's us! We're okay!' came Lucy's familiar call, slightly higher in pitch than usual.

Wyatt approached the open doorway calmly, his gun out and ready to aim, then froze when he took in the sight before him. Lucy was propping up the unconscious unknown soldier with her heel, her bare leg stretched out to hold him up so he didn't fall from Wyatt's seat, and she had a pistol gun pointed directly at him. Not only that, her face was alive and beaming with excitement. In that moment, Wyatt had never been more attracted to her.

Lucy was laughing. 'We made it!' she said giddily, disbelieving.

Wyatt climbed up into the capsule, impressed. 'You did it! You held the gun like I said, huh?' he said to Rufus.

'Yeah, pulled the trigger between breaths,' Rufus replied triumphantly, grinning.

'Rufus, you're a badass,' Wyatt said, as he turned to unfasten Sullivan from the seat.

'If by "badass," you mean scared out of my mind…' Rufus said, looking eager to get out of the Lifeboat.

'Okay…' Lucy whispered, relieved that at least _that_ part was over, and Wyatt reached out to help her as she unbuckled herself from her seat.

Taking her hand, Wyatt helped Lucy out of the Lifeboat, and then went back inside to drag Sullivan's unconscious body out into the warehouse while she and Rufus went to talk to Agent Christopher.

'So…we just stole a giant piece of top-secret machinery and made ourselves fugitives from the US government,' Lucy was saying airily, pacing around the warehouse, and she leaned over, clutching her hands to her knees to try and steady herself; her knees were feeling rather shaky. 'All good.'

'You did the right thing,' Wyatt said, moving away from Sullivan and walking over to them. 'If Rittenhouse is running the shop, they can't have the time machine.'

Lucy cast him a disgruntled glance. 'Your sense of calm is super annoying,' she muttered.

Wyatt gave her a brief wry smile before turning to Rufus. 'Rufus, they can't track us? You shut them down?' he asked.

'Yeah, but it's only a matter of hours before Mason is able to counteract the worm and get the network back online,' Rufus explained.

'How much time does that give us?' Agent Christopher asked.

'The Lifeboat's battery is drained after two jumps,' Rufus replied agitatedly, clearly stressing out. 'It'll need four hours to recharge, if it even can, and-'

'Okay,' Wyatt murmured, trying to sound reassuring, but Rufus wasn't listening.

'-you know, if we don't get caught-'

'Okay! It's all right,' Wyatt interrupted, firmly but comfortingly as he looked at Lucy and Rufus's strained expressions. 'One step at a time.'

Rufus frowned; who was this new Wyatt in their midst? Wyatt looked over at Lucy, whose face seemed permanently set in a frown as she stared into space despairingly, trying to keep her breathing calm. She was wearing a long elegant forest green coat, with a leopard-print collar and long leather black gloves, and shiny pearls hung around her neck. She looked like a movie star…only not a happy one in the slightest.

'First step…' Wyatt said, looking Lucy up and down, and his lips twitched, 'let's go get your sister back.'

Lucy looked up at him, shocked, sure she must have misheard him. She turned to Agent Christopher, wondering if this had been some sort of joke or a secret plan the two had been concocting while waiting for the Lifeboat, but from the perplexed, horrified look on Agent Christopher's face, it was news to her as well. This was all Wyatt; he had been thinking about it for a while over the past few days, and knew it was the only thing left he wanted to do. Lucy's eyes felt suddenly wet as she turned back to gaze at Wyatt.

'What?' she murmured quietly, hardly daring to believe him, and a giddy smile broke free on her face, flooding Wyatt with warmth instantly.

Wyatt smiled back at her, his eyes and expression filled with such affection, such tenderness, that Rufus felt like he and Agent Christopher might as well not even be there; the two were completely lost in each other's gaze.

'I think that's reckless,' Agent Christopher said sternly. 'Flynn is still out there-'

'With all due respect, ma'am,' Wyatt said, turning away from Lucy's dazed face to address Agent Christopher, ' _we_ don't work for the government anymore. I think Lucy deserves a shot.'

Lucy felt like she might cry with happiness. All those months ago, when they had returned from their first mission to the Hindenburg and Lucy had announced that Amy had been erased from existence, Wyatt himself had told her, very clearly, 'Trust me. We're gonna fix it.' Lucy had wanted to believe him, but as time had passed and nothing had happened, she had become more and more defeated, believing it to be a hopeless cause, and so she had grieved alone. But now Wyatt, the man she had fallen helplessly in love with since that day when everything had changed, wanted to prioritise getting Amy back before they did anything else, for Lucy, despite all the risks, despite everything he had recently been through. And it truly meant more to Lucy than she could say.

'I'll start the charge,' Rufus said kindly, because of course he would be in full support of this too. He was her best friend, her family, just like Wyatt was. They were in this together, and nothing could ever change that.

Half-laughing, half-crying, Lucy wrapped her arms around Rufus in a fierce hug. 'Thank you,' she said, before releasing him so he could go and set up the engines in the Lifeboat.

Lucy then rushed over to hug Wyatt in delight, still laughing, and Wyatt was taken aback as she flung her arms around him, having never seen her smile so ecstatically. The way she threw herself at him made him grunt in surprise and nearly knocked him off his feet, but he gripped her back tightly with a laugh, pleased. It made him so happy to see her like that, so full of pure joy.

'Thank you,' Lucy whispered in his ear, beaming, her eyes full of tears.

Wyatt smiled warmly at her as they reluctantly broke apart and then tried to play it cool; they needed to focus on this mission to get Amy back first, before he needed to focus on the inevitable question of what he was going to do about this amazing woman and the effect she had been having on him for much longer than he'd previously thought.

'So, what's the plan?' Wyatt asked her eagerly.

'Okay, so, um…' Lucy's voice shook, slightly; she was overwhelmed by how this was suddenly really happening. 'We go to 1979, UC Berkeley, and we make sure that my mom and Henry Wallace meet.'

She was laughing delightedly, her eyes still sparkling with tears, and Wyatt realised then that he wanted nothing more than to see her be this happy with that beautiful smile and alight expression all the time.

'They always said that it was love at first sight. They knew the minute that they laid their eyes on each other!' Lucy said excitedly.

'Well, let's go play cupid,' Wyatt said, and they grinned at each other…but then Lucy's laughter was cut short as a familiar alarm began to sound from inside the Lifeboat.

Rufus peeped his head out from the capsule door, a pitiful look on his face. 'It's Flynn. He's jumped,' he announced, a hint of anger in his quiet voice.

Lucy turned to face Wyatt in despair, her eyes still full of tears but not ones of joy now. Wyatt's smile had disappeared, and his face was firmly set.

'Where?' Wyatt asked Rufus, and as his eyes flickered apologetically to Lucy, she knew then that it was no good – her short burst of hope and happiness had never been meant to be after all. Stupid Garcia Flynn had seen to that.

'Chicago, 1931,' Rufus replied heavily, and Lucy groaned.

'I can't think of any reason why he'd go there unless he's after Al Capone.'

'Oh God,' Wyatt said irritably, scratching his head and rolling his eyes. 'What would he need Capone for?'

Lucy shrugged helplessly. 'The more and more we do this, the less I have any idea of how Flynn's mind works,' she muttered bitterly, wandering away from them. 'So this just screws everything up, doesn't it?'

Wyatt didn't answer her; he didn't know how to. Instead, he, Rufus and Agent Christopher debated for a few minutes on their options while Lucy stayed away, gazing down defeatedly at the floor while she tried to block out their argument. They had been so close. _So_ close to possibly getting Amy back. Now what was going to happen?

'What the hell are we supposed to do?' Rufus was saying agitatedly.

'It's one problem at a time,' Wyatt said, annoyingly calm, and Lucy clasped a hand to her forehead as she listened. 'And right now that is Flynn taking the Mothership to 1931.'

'Except now Rittenhouse has taken over Mason Industries, and they might be ten times worse than Flynn,' Rufus pointed out, and he frowned. 'Maybe we're fighting the wrong battle.'

'You're the one who said we can't let Flynn take a wrecking ball to everyone and everything,' Agent Christopher protested.

'That was before we stole a time machine, became fugitives, and Jiya was forced to work next to a bunch of homicidal dicks!' Rufus shouted, panicked, and Wyatt sighed, staring worriedly over at Lucy, whose back was to them and who had been silent for a while now.

'Rufus, like it or not, we're the only ones who can stop Flynn from hurting people,' Agent Christopher said.

'And what about my sister?' Lucy said sharply, turning around to face them all with an accusing expression as she walked up to them. 'Huh? I mean, this was my last shot. If we don't do this now, I may _never_ see my sister again. They track us down after we get back from Chicago, it is over. My sister will be gone _forever_.'

Her voice was shaking, and her eyes were threatening to spill more tears. It was heart-breaking.

'Okay, look, I get it,' Wyatt said urgently, stepping forward to calm her. 'None of us should have to give up our families. I know, I'm the last person that should be saying that, because I'm the selfish ass that went after my wife, but still. Letting Flynn murder through time? That's madness. And I think somewhere deep down, we all can admit that. Rittenhouse or not, Flynn's not gonna stop until we stop him. So, why us? There's nobody else but us.'

Lucy could think of nothing to say in response to his little empowering speech. So she simply gazed tearfully at him, awestruck by his sudden passion for the cause, and gave a little shaky nod before retreating to sit down in a secluded corner of the warehouse as Rufus grudgingly began to set up the Lifeboat ready to launch for 1931.

While Rufus went to phone Jiya in order to ask her to keep up the computer virus that was blocking their CPU signal, Wyatt wandered over to Lucy, who was sat on one of the crates with a glum look in her eyes.

'Hey,' he murmured, sitting down next to her.

Lucy smiled sadly at him. 'I'm sorry, I know I'm being...difficult. I just...I never even imagined or expected that we would try to get Amy back today, but when you said it, I guess I just got my hopes up,' she admitted.

Wyatt tilted his head at her. 'And I meant it.'

'How? How can you mean it, when you weren't able to get the person you love back?' Lucy asked, and Wyatt felt his heart sink, the pain still raw from his ordeal. 'Wouldn't you just be bitter about it if...'

'Lucy, if we managed to get your sister back, I would be thrilled for you. Just like you would be for me,' Wyatt said earnestly, and he sighed. 'Anyway, it's like Agent Christopher said, it's different. Jessica died. But Amy...she was just, what, never born? It's just wrong. Travelling through time messed up her existence but...maybe it can fix it as well.'

'You really believe that? Even after everything?' Lucy murmured, amazed.

'Yeah, I do. And so do you. Just...focus on Flynn for now. We'll get through this. We'll sort out whatever the hell he's up to in Chicago 1931, and then we _will_ go and get Amy back, no matter what it takes, I promise,' Wyatt said determinedly. 'Just one more trip to stop Flynn, then save your sister. One problem at a time, okay?'

'One problem at a time,' Lucy said with a smile, nudging his elbow. 'Thanks, Wyatt.'

He smiled back. 'You're welcome,' he said softly.

They looked at each other for a moment, their gaze locked on each other's eyes, but as Wyatt opened his mouth to say something, Rufus then appeared from around the corner, looking agitated.

'Guys...we'd better get going. Jiya won't be able to keep the virus up for that long,' he said worriedly.

Wyatt jumped up and held out his hand to help Lucy up to her feet. His fingers hesitated before letting go of hers as they hurried over to the Lifeboat.

* * *

Lucy hoped that she would settle more into the ease of a good old mission with her two original team members once they had arrived in 1931, but somehow she felt even less relaxed as the three of them headed down the streets of town.

'Oh, my God, you guys, this is terrible,' Lucy said anxiously, mortified as she glanced at her own sixties outfit and Wyatt's modern-day jeans and jacket. 'We stand out like sore thumbs.'

'Well, there's no time to go shopping,' Wyatt said helplessly. 'Flynn's already way ahead of us.'

'I say we own it, embrace our fashion-forwardness, stop Flynn, and get the hell out of here,' Rufus said promptly as they walked along.

'What if Flynn has already done whatever it is he came here to do?' Lucy wandered aloud, and they all sighed.

'So, March 13th, 1931, Chicago. Where's Flynn headed?' Wyatt asked her.

'There's only one place I can think of,' Lucy replied heavily, casting Wyatt a dark look as they hurried on.

Al Capone was supposed to have been sent to prison for tax evasion today, so it wasn't really much of a surprise to Lucy when they saw the mobster himself speaking out to the reporters about how he was no longer being convicted, due to the prosecution having lost certain evidence. It didn't take a genius to work out that Flynn must have somehow gotten Capone off. Anxious to fix this mess as soon as possible before Capone caused any more trouble, Lucy and the others spontaneously posed as private investigators to get information on Capone and Flynn from Eliot Ness, the man who was famous for bringing Capone down. However, they had only been exchanging intel and discussing tactics on Capone for around ten minutes when Ness's house came under fire from one of Capone's hitmen, and Ness was gunned down in the attack.

'What? No,' Lucy cried in disbelief, as Wyatt checked Ness's pulse…with negative results. 'Eliot Ness, he-he can't be dead. He's not supposed to die for another 26 years!'

'How'd they even know he was here?' Rufus said incredulously.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows at him. 'How do you think? Flynn.'

'This can't be happening,' Lucy said, panicked, her head in her hands. 'I mean, Capone is out there on the loose, and the only guy that can stop him is _gone_!'

'We got to get out of here right now,' Wyatt said, straightening up.

'We're just supposed to leave him here like this?' Rufus asked, alarmed.

Wyatt frowned. 'What do you want to do, wait for the cops? We don't have IDs. I'm wearing button-fly jeans from The Gap!' he said irritably, and Lucy's eyes flickered automatically down to his jeans; they fit him very nicely. 'There's nothing we can do. Let's go.'

Panting and still rather shaken from the gunfire attack, they escaped Ness's house just as the cops arrived. While the sirens wailed through the streets, they found a car in one of the back alleys, which Wyatt immediately proceeded to break into.

'Where are we going?' Rufus asked, looking confused.

'To find Capone,' Wyatt replied.

'What about Flynn?'

Wyatt opened the drivers' seat of the car. 'One problem at a time,' he said simply.

'Stop saying that. Why do you keep saying that?' Lucy asked irritably, as she and Rufus scrambled into the back of the car.

Wyatt hesitated for a moment then turned to face her. 'Do you know what the very first Delta mission was?'

'1979, Iran,' Lucy replied unsurely, as she ducked down so she was hidden from view in case any cops passed by.

'That's right,' Wyatt replied, impressed, as he turned to hot-wire the engine. 'Go get the hostages out of Tehran. One of my Delta instructors, name is Diamond Dave, he was on that mission. The plane carrying the operatives lands in the desert somewhere to refuel. While it's on the ground, a Navy helicopter crashes into it due to the heavy winds. So, Dave – he wakes up from a nap, he sees the plane is on fire. Now, he still thinks they're 20,000 feet up. He can't find a parachute, so he just flings himself right out the door, right through the smoke.'

Lucy was baffled. 'Okay, this is all really nice, but what is the point of this story?' she asked, very conscious of the fact that time was of the essence here.

'So the guys afterwards asked Dave, "If you thought we were 20,000 feet in the air, why the hell would you fling yourself out the door without a parachute?" Dave just looks at him and he says, "All I knew was the plane was on fire, and I figured one problem at a time,"' Wyatt concluded with a smug little smile, and there was a crackling spark as the car engine came to life. 'First, we stop Capone, and then we worry about what Flynn wants with him and everything else.'

Rufus had rolled his eyes at Wyatt's words of wisdom, but Lucy was spellbound. She'd never seen this side of Wyatt before. It was almost as if his personal mission to Ohio had been a turning point for him, and now he had changed completely.

'So, if Al Capone is supposed to be behind bars…how do we put him there?' Wyatt asked firmly from the drivers' seat.

'I don't know,' Lucy replied helplessly. 'I mean, without Ness, this is…just…' But then she trailed off, her expression suddenly frozen.

'Lucy?' Wyatt said in a low voice; he could tell that brilliant mind of hers had thought of something, as he always knew it would.

She hesitated. 'I know who we can ask,' she said, and Wyatt smiled at her.

'Lucy, you're incredible, as always,' Wyatt murmured, and Lucy's lips trembled as she gave him an embarrassed smile. 'Just tell me where to drive.'

* * *

Convincing a prohibition agent by the name of Richard Hart to arrest Al Capone for his crimes took a considerable amount of time when they paid him a personal visit that evening - perhaps he was hesitant due to the fact that he was in actual fact Jimmy Capone, Al's elder, more moral, brother. Nevertheless, he eventually agreed, and so together the four of them gained access to Al Capone's meeting location. While the brothers reunited, Al Capone revealed to the group that Flynn had mentioned a Rittenhouse summit in D. C. in 1954 where all members would be together, but before he went into further detail, Jimmy then announced that he was going to bring Al in, to stop him from hurting innocent people.

In his fury at his brother's betrayal, Al turned suspiciously to Lucy and the others. 'That guy Flynn said these three might come looking for him,' he said in a low, angry voice, and Wyatt glanced worriedly at Lucy. 'And when he left, he asked me to do him one more favour. And being a man of my word-'

Rufus had yelled out in horror before Al Capone's gun was even fully drawn. 'Oh!'

'No! No, no, no, please!' Lucy shouted at once, her hands held out in surrender, as Wyatt and Jimmy Capone also drew out their guns in defence. 'Please. Please.'

'I made a deal to take out the coloured fella,' Al Capone snarled, his gun pointed directly at Rufus. 'Flynn says they can't follow him if I do.'

'Can't let you do that,' Jimmy said sternly.

Al Capone raised his eyebrows at him. 'Jimmy. You'd pull a gun on me? Your own brother?'

Jimmy clicked his gun in response. 'Lower your weapon, Al,' he said warningly.

'What are you gonna do? You gonna…you gonna shoot me?' Capone said sceptically.

'I don't want to.'

'But you want to take me to prison, is that right? Oh, Dad must be turning over in his damn grave right now,' Capone sat.

'Dad wasn't around to see what you became,' Jimmy pointed out.

'Neither were you!' Capone roared, furious, and Lucy shook violently as they watched, thankfully aware of Wyatt's protective presence beside her.

'You want to know why I disappeared? Because I saw what you were becoming, and I didn't want to end up like that, like all this,' Jimmy shouted. 'I may be a Capone, but you and I are nothing alike.'

Capone glanced at Rufus before turning back to his brother. 'You're right. We're not. But we're family. And family's more important than anything, which is why I know you won't shoot.'

Wyatt pushed Rufus out of the way just as Al shot him in the stomach. Jimmy shot his brother dead before he had a chance to harm anyone else, and together he and Wyatt quickly eradicated the threat of Al's hitmen.

Lucy rushed to Rufus's side; he had collapsed onto the ground, gurgling and coughing, his stomach drenched in blood.

'Aah! Oh, my God. Rufus?' she whispered, panicked.

'He sh-shot me!' Rufus whispered back, surprised, as he clutched hold of his stomach desperately.

'You got to stop the bleeding,' Wyatt told Lucy urgently, his gun still held aloft in case Capone hadn't been killed by Jimmy's shot, and Lucy grabbed a handkerchief from a nearby table to press on the wound.

'How bad is it?' Rufus asked, panting, as Wyatt crouched down beside Lucy and quickly looked over the wound.

'Bullet's still in there. We got to get him to a hospital,' Wyatt whispered urgently to Lucy, as Lucy breathed deeply, trying not to cry.

'In the '30s?' Lucy said incredulously. 'No way. They were segregated, and not good.'

Rufus was going into shock now; his face was scrunched up in agony, and his body was trembling as he tried to calm his breathing.

'Yeah, well, we can't exactly march him into an ER back home. Our faces are on every single government watch list out there,' Wyatt pointed out, and he pressed his hands over Lucy's so that they were both covering the wound up the best they could. 'I'm sorry, Rufus, I'm so sorry. I should've…I should've reacted faster.'

'One problem at a time, right?' Rufus wheezed.

Wyatt smiled weakly. 'Yeah.'

'Get me to the Lifeboat, I'll take us home,' Rufus whispered, and Lucy shook her head helplessly.

Jimmy then approached them. 'Police are on the way. Ambulance too,' he announced.

'I don't know if we can wait that long. He's lost a lot of blood. Can you stand?' Lucy asked Rufus.

'Yeah,' Rufus grunted, and with a loud groan of pain he was hoisted up to his feet.

'We're just gonna take him there ourselves. Thank you for your help, I know this was hard for you. I'm sorry,' Lucy said to Jimmy, and together she and Wyatt guided a panting, groaning Rufus out of the room.

Wyatt drove them at top speed out of town into the empty field in which they had left the Lifeboat, nearly crashing into the traffic along their way in his desperation to get Rufus the medical attention he so urgently needed. Wyatt leapt out of the drivers' seat the moment they had grinded to a halt, and rushed to the back to help Lucy get Rufus out.

'Okay, Wyatt…' Lucy said anxiously, and Wyatt threw Rufus' arm around his shoulder so he was carrying his weight, and together the three of them struggled over to the Lifeboat. 'Come on, Rufus. Stay with us!'

Rufus was wheezing more than ever as Lucy and Wyatt sat him down into the pilot's seat once they were finally inside.

'Okay, Rufus,' Lucy said, trying to stay calm.

'Got to buckle him in,' Wyatt said agitatedly, trying to strap Rufus in.

Lucy shook Rufus urgently, trying to keep him alert as he spluttered. 'Rufus, look at me. You have to get us back, okay? We don't know how.'

'Come on, buddy,' Wyatt said comfortingly, buckling him in.

Rufus looked like he might faint at any second. 'I just-'

'Good.'

'I just-'

'Come here,' Lucy said, her hand catching Wyatt's as she too helped strap Rufus in, and she clutched Rufus's shoulder urgently. 'You want me to push a button? This one? This one right here?'

She did so, and the capsule immediately began whirring, the engine starting up, the rumbling increasing…

'In the seat. Get in the seat,' Wyatt said urgently to Lucy, as they rushed to their seats.

'We're right here. Okay,' Lucy panted, alarmed by the glazed look in Rufus's bloodshot eyes.

'You got this, Rufus. Come on,' Wyatt said determinedly as he buckled himself in and quickly helped Lucy with her own seatbelts. 'Stick with us, Rufus!'

But tears were rolling down Rufus's cheeks as he struggled to grab onto the console. 'Tell Jiya…' he murmured, but he trailed off, unable to speak.

'We're buckled in. Get us out of here!' Lucy said fiercely, but then her face fell as she saw Rufus's head drop limply to his side in the pilot's seat; her eyes widened in panic. 'What?'

'Rufus,' Wyatt whispered, terrified, and he and Lucy quickly undid their seatbelts as he shouted, 'Rufus!'

Lucy leapt to his side. 'Rufus!'

'Hey!' Wyatt yelled, but Rufus had fully collapsed.

'Oh my God, Wyatt, he's out! He's unconsciousness!' Lucy cried despairingly, shaking Rufus's cold, clammy face.

'Dammit, what do we do?' Wyatt demanded, his hands in his hair as the engine continued to rumble.

'Why the hell weren't we trained how to pilot this thing in case of incidences like this?!'

'It can't be that hard, can it...just...press a few buttons...' Wyatt said desperately, staring in horror at the complicated console lit up before them. 'Ugh, it's no use! We need to get him to hospital-'

'Wyatt, I told you, we can't, they wouldn't be able to save him!' Lucy cut over him sharply, tears forming in her eyes as she clutched onto Rufus. 'Oh God, look, he's lost too much blood already!'

'Shit. Shit, shit, _shit_...'

'N-no, he can't die and we _can't_ getting trapped in the past again, no way,' Lucy said in a shaking voice.

Wyatt put a hand on her shoulder. 'If it's any consolation, I can think of worse people to be stuck here with,' he said weakly, panting, but Lucy shrugged his hand off her.

'It might be just me you're stuck with if we don't do anything!' she snapped tearfully, aware of the engine still reverberating threateningly around them. 'C'mon, maybe you're right, we need to get him out of here-'

'There's not enough time, he'll be dead before we get to any doctor now!' Wyatt interrupted heavily, his eyes welling up too.

'Oh God, no, Rufus!' Lucy whimpered, dropping to her knees as she held onto Rufus's hands desperately. 'Rufus, wake up!'

'Rufus. Rufus, please,' Wyatt said in a low voice, crouching down beside his friend. 'You gotta wake up, me and Lucy need you. We can't do this without you, we need you!'

'Rufus! Please!'

A moment passed, and as Rufus stayed sat there limply with no sign of movement, Lucy and Wyatt turned to face each other. Their hands met just as Rufus jumped awake with a spluttering gasp and groan of pain.

'Rufus?!' Wyatt yelped in delight.

He and Lucy were half-laughing, half-crying in relief, and Lucy flung her arms joyfully around Rufus without thinking.

'Oh, Rufus, we thought we'd lost you!' she cried, but Wyatt pulled her away at once.

'Don't hug him, Lucy, the bullet-'

Lucy grimaced awkwardly, panicked. 'Oh no, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry-'

'C'mon, Rufus, get us out of here. We'll help you, c'mon, we'll guide your arms,' Wyatt said urgently, more concerned than ever by the pulsating blood in Rufus's stomach, 'tell us what to press-'

'You guys need to be strapped in-' Rufus protested, but Wyatt cut over him fiercely.

'To hell with that.'

'Yeah, j-just tell us what to do!' Lucy said hastily.

Rufus gave them an ominous look. 'You'd better hold on to each other.'

'Not a problem,' Wyatt assured him, catching Lucy's eye. 'Just tell us what to do, and we'll get ourselves back to 2017 together, all right?'

'Together,' Lucy said firmly in a tremoring voice, and she nodded. 'Stay with us, Rufus, we're gonna get you help as soon as we get home...'

And so Rufus let Wyatt move his hands to press various controls, all the while Lucy speaking urgent words of comfort to keep him awake as they worked, and soon the engine was whirring once more. Before they knew it, they were off, travelling back to the present (hopefully)...Lucy and Wyatt crouched around the pilot's seat with Wyatt's arms wrapped protectively around Lucy to stop her from falling as the capsule shook them violently, praying internally that Rufus would be able to make it before he bled out...

The only problem was that they were all law-breakers now, in hiding and on the run. Rufus couldn't exactly just walk into a hospital. So how were they going to be able to save his life?


	21. The End of Lucy's Engagement

**This chapter covers the first half of 1x16 :)**

* * *

When they landed back in 2017, Lucy and Wyatt immediately climbed out of the Lifeboat, dragging a half-conscious, wheezing Rufus with them back into the familiar abandoned warehouse.

'Right there, right there,' Wyatt muttered, resting Rufus against one of the crates, and Rufus yelled out in agony.

'You did it, Rufus. You got us home,' Lucy whispered, relieved, and Rufus gave a shaky nod, breathing heavily.

Wyatt pulled back Rufus's blood-soaked shirt and grimaced. 'He's lost a lot of blood. That bullet's pretty deep,' he said worriedly to Lucy. 'Maybe we should take him to a hospital.'

'No. No hospitals,' Rufus said at once in a shaking voice between breaths. 'Rittenhouse. They could find us.'

Lucy gazed helplessly back at Wyatt, until a thought then hit her. 'I know who we can call,' she said ominously. 'Noah.'

Wyatt frowned, confused. 'Noah who?'

'My fiancé.'

Wyatt stared at her, shocked by how much it pained him to hear those two words. 'You never said he was a doctor,' he said, slightly disgruntled.

'Now's not the time to get jealous, Wyatt,' Rufus panted, and Wyatt shot him an irritable glance, 'get him here now if you think he can get this damn thing out of me!'

'But wait, he doesn't know anything about this, we can't trust him,' Wyatt said incredulously.

'We don't have to tell him anything, just the fact that Rufus was shot. He saves lives daily, he'll want to help,' Lucy said calmly. 'I must have trusted him in his version of the timeline. I mean, I loved him enough to wanna marry him, didn't I? I must have chosen well.'

'I don't like it. We're not bringing a random civilian into this,' Wyatt protested, 'there must be another way.'

'Well there isn't!' Lucy snapped, and her sharp tone shocked Wyatt into silence as she glared at him. 'What have you got against him? You don't even know the guy!'

Wyatt tilted his head at her, scowling. 'Neither do you.'

Lucy stared back at him, at a loss with what to say, until Rufus's coughing broke the silence.

'Just do it, Lucy. Call him. Please,' he begged, and there were tears leaking from his eyes as he grunted in pain. 'I don't know how long I'll last.'

Lucy squeezed Rufus's hand and, giving Wyatt one last glare, she jumped up to her feet and got out her cell phone. Wyatt watched her walk away with her phone pressed to her ear, a bitter expression on his face as he held Rufus securely by the crate.

'Dude,' Rufus muttered, still wheezing, 'just tell her how you feel-'

'What the hell are you talking about?' Wyatt asked in a monotone voice, turning to look blankly at Rufus. 'Think you're beginning to hallucinate, buddy. C'mon, let's find something you can lie on for when Dr Loverboy gets here.'

* * *

Noah arrived shortly afterwards with a bag full of equipment and a harassed-looking expression on his face…a face that Wyatt found too dashing and symmetrical for his liking. No wonder Lucy had put off cutting all ties with such a handsome man. They cleared a space in a locker room within the warehouse for Noah to set to work on Rufus, and Lucy and Wyatt watched anxiously as Noah removed the bullet and carefully cleaned and bandaged Rufus's wound. It didn't take him long, but what unnerved Lucy the most was Noah's silence and his passive expression when she had refused to answer his questions on where and how the gunshot had happened, and where they had been. He looked defeated and in pain. And it was all her fault.

'All right,' Noah said heavily once he had finished, looking almost angry as he removed his medical gloves. 'Amazingly, from what I can see, it looks like there's no serious damage to his internal organs.'

'He's gonna be okay?' Lucy asked in a small voice.

Noah's eyes widened as he looked up at his fiancé. 'He was…shot, Lucy,' he said slowly, disbelieving and irritated. 'I treated him in a warehouse in Oakland without a medical history, blood work. He's-he's stable, but you need to get him to a hospital.'

'Got it, Doc. Soon as we can,' Wyatt assured him impatiently, eager for Noah to leave.

"As soon as we-"…' Noah trailed off in disgust and glared across the table at Wyatt. 'I think you got to do better than that, _actually_.'

Lucy glanced anxiously at Wyatt. She didn't know what to say. They were out of options, they were wanted fugitives…they couldn't go to hospital, not right now. Not until they could stop this.

'I'm sorry, Noah, thank you for all you've done here but…you need to go now. For your safety,' Lucy said apologetically.

Noah stared at her. 'Are you serious right now?' he asked reproachfully, hurt.

Lucy floundered uncomfortably. This was her fiancé. What reason could she give? How could she possibly justify her behaviour?

'Well, you saved our co-worker's life, Noah. Don't know how to thank you,' Wyatt said promptly, holding out his hand, but Noah didn't take it.

'How about the truth with what the hell's going on here?' Noah demanded, and Lucy looked down awkwardly. 'I think I'm owed an explanation.'

'Can't do that, sorry,' Wyatt replied, not sounding sorry at all. 'It's confidential.'

Noah gave a sharp nod. 'Right. Well, pleasure to meet you, Mr Logan. I'll do you guys a favour and get out of here,' he said, grabbing his bag and turning around. 'Get him to a medical facility as soon as you can.'

'Will do. And it's Master Sergeant Logan, actually,' Wyatt called after him, but Noah had already left the room.

Lucy stepped over to Wyatt furiously. 'Wyatt, what the hell?' she said, mortified. 'You didn't have to be like that, he helped, he literally saved Rufus-'

'I know that,' Wyatt said innocently, 'I just thought the sooner he was out of here, the better, like you said! He needed pushing out or he wasn't gonna go anywhere-'

Lucy scoffed. 'I never thought you the type to be intimidated by another successful man but-'

'"Intimidated"?' Wyatt interrupted, outraged. 'What the hell is that supposed to mean, I'm not "intimidated"-'

'Guys. Please. Shut up,' Rufus mumbled dazedly from the table, his hand over his bandages as he stared up at the squabbling pair. 'The anaesthesia's making me all floopy, you're being too loud.'

Lucy scowled at Wyatt, livid, before marching out to catch up with Noah; Wyatt clasped a hand to his forehead as the door swung shut behind her.

'Noah! Noah, wait. Please,' Lucy called after Noah's retreating figure.

Noah hung back slightly but carried on walking determinedly towards the open exit of the warehouse. Lucy began to walk alongside him.

'I'm sorry about him, I…I don't know what to say,' Lucy said helplessly.

'So I am seriously not supposed to ask any questions right now?' Noah said in a low voice, coming to a halt as he looked around at the warehouse.

'I get that you're pissed,' Lucy said as she too stopped walking, 'you have every right to be, but-'

'You disappear for days,' Noah interrupted accusingly, and Lucy fell silent. 'Your mother calls me non-stop. We didn't know if something…we were checking local hospitals, Lucy.'

Lucy gazed pitifully at him, hating to see how much distress she had caused this innocent man. 'I'm sorry…' she murmured feebly.

'And then when you _do_ call, you're dressed like freakin' Jackie O, you got someone's blood on you, and even then, it's like, "Patch this guy up and get the hell out of here",' Noah said angrily.

'It is not safe for you to be here right now, and I just…you have to go. I'm sorry,' Lucy said urgently.

Noah groaned. 'Stop saying you're sorry!'

'I-I'm sorry! I don't know what else to say,' Lucy said desperately.

'Explain it to me!' Noah snapped.

'I can't! I-I can't,' Lucy said, helpless.

Noah was staring at her, disbelieving and confused, with tears in his eyes. 'What happened to you, Lucy? It's like someone stole my fiancé and replaced her with…whatever this is. Lucy, this isn't you.'

In that moment Lucy then realised that she was never going to be the woman Noah knew or loved or wanted to marry. Even if she tried, even if she _wanted_ to try to be this other Lucy, she was never going to be. And now was the time to accept that.

'See, that is the thing, Noah. _This_ is me,' Lucy said fiercely, and she almost smiled at her words, despite how painful it was for her to do this. 'That person that you knew, that person that you fell in love with, that wasn't me. That was someone else, and I wish that I could explain how or why, but I can't. But I will never be that person.'

Her voice shook when she spoke, and Noah seemed rather taken aback, as if he could hardly register the words she was saying. He then began to nod slowly at her, as if he understood, and rage filled his eyes.

'It's 'cause of that guy?' he said quietly.

It took a second for Lucy to realise what he meant. 'Wyatt?' she said, open-mouthed and mortified – how had Noah picked up on that in such a short amount of time of seeing her and Wyatt together? – and she shook her head, laughing nervously. ' _No_. No. No…I-I…'

But she trailed off as she heard the way her 'no's sounded less and less convincing, and Noah smiled sadly at her. She was in denial – well, that was what he thought, anyway. But that wasn't strictly true. Lucy knew exactly how she felt about Wyatt, but Wyatt was completely separate from this, because she'd known for an even longer amount of time how she'd felt about this pretend engagement that had sprung out of nowhere. Wyatt or no Wyatt, Lucy still didn't want to be the fiancé of a total stranger, no matter how smart or handsome or perfect her mother insisted he was for her. That just wasn't her.

Lucy sighed. 'Noah, you are incredible,' she said sincerely, as Noah tried not to cry, 'and you deserve to be with someone who makes you happy, but it's just…it's not me.'

Noah looked back at her for a moment, and then, without saying a word, he brushed past her and walked away out into the night, letting out a few shaky breaths. Lucy stayed stood there for a few seconds before moving over to sit down on one of the crates, so she could process what had just happened and to collect herself. By the time she had recovered enough to go back into the warehouse, Rufus seemed somewhat better and was dressed in modern-day clothes, slouched against a crate with Jiya sat at his side. Agent Christopher was there too, only before Lucy had chance to catch up on any news, Wyatt then announced that Flynn had taken the Mothership to February 20th 1954, Washington D.C., as they had known he would – he was going to the Rittenhouse summit that Al Capone had mentioned, clearly with the aim to take all the members out once and for all.

Rufus wasn't in a fit state to pilot – due to the anaesthesia from his brief surgery, the room was still spinning according to him, and he could barely stand – but luckily it turned out that Jiya had had training in a simulator. Even though the Lifeboat was only designed to carry three people, they had no choice but to use Jiya as a pilot thanks to the Rittenhouse soldiers that suddenly appeared outside the warehouse, guns ready to shoot. Agent Christopher stayed behind to hold them off while the other four left for 1954 in the Lifeboat.

The journey was a little rockier than usual – after all, it was Jiya's first time – and when they all stumbled out into the empty barn, Rufus and Jiya immediately collapsed onto a stack of hay, while Lucy and Wyatt leant against the Lifeboat capsule, panting heavily and trying not to give in to the overwhelming dizziness.

'I can't believe we made it,' Lucy murmured, stunned, as her head pounded.

'That was…wow,' Jiya said, looking like she might throw up.

'Everyone all right?' Lucy asked, straightening up, and she looked round at Wyatt beside her, who was still staring down at the ground. 'Wyatt?'

Wyatt's head jerked up and he leant immediately off the Lifeboat. 'Yep. No more seasick than usual,' he said, groaning. 'Whew. Okay. Any ideas where this Rittenhouse summit could be?'

'If I had to pick a place to start, I'd start with Joe McCarthy,' Lucy said thoughtfully. 'McCarthy thought that there were communists everywhere – State Department, writers, journalists…he's in the middle of his most famous hearings, looking for reds in the army. The guy's practically wearing a giant neon sign that says "Rittenhouse."'

'Okay. Rufus, you stay here,' Wyatt said heavily, still rather concerned about Rufus's wound, and with a nod at Lucy, the two of them began to walk towards the exit of the barn.

'Uh, hey, guys?' Jiya said awkwardly, and Lucy and Wyatt turned around. 'Not to sound like my mom, but…is that what you're wearing?'

'Damn. I forgot,' Wyatt muttered, looking over his jacket and jeans and Lucy's 60s' attire.

'We're not too far from the centre of town, there'll be a boutique or something, and we've still got money left in the Lifeboat,' Lucy said optimistically.

And so off the two of them went, into town to shop for clothes. They received a few strange looks from passers-by, but other than that, they seemed pretty much invisible, though nevertheless headed into the first clothes store they came across.

'Lucy, are you okay, by the way?' Wyatt asked as together they looked through some of the displays and racks. 'About earlier with Noah, I…I'm sorry I-'

'I'm fine,' Lucy said pointedly, not ready to discuss the whole matter just yet. 'Just forget about it.'

'O-kay,' Wyatt said awkwardly, and he sighed. 'So…we haven't done this in a while.'

Lucy raised her eyebrows as she flickered through some of the dresses. 'Done what? Pick out outfits together?'

'A mission without Rufus. When was the last time it was just us two?' Wyatt asked thoughtfully, grabbing a shirt and suit jacket.

'Bonnie and Clyde,' Lucy said at once, and she blushed at how quickly she'd responded and tried to focus her attention on the grey dress near to her.

Wyatt smiled to himself. 'Ah, of course. Don't worry, I didn't forget.'

'I should hope not,' Lucy said, picking out the grey dress, and as she caught his eye their lips twitched.

'No, pick this one,' Wyatt then said, reaching out for a pale blue dress with a matching belt and coat. 'The colour compliments your skin tone more.'

Lucy tilted her head at him, amazed. 'You ever thought about going into fashion rather than the army, Wyatt?' she asked playfully, amused.

Wyatt rolled his eyes, embarrassed. 'That's real funny.'

'Hey, how about this hat for you?' Lucy suggested eagerly, seeing a posh black hat in the window.

'Really?' Wyatt said, bemused. 'Why do you always insist I need a hat on these trips?'

Lucy picked up a grey hat next to it. 'Because they look good on you. Hmm, maybe this one? It matches the coat better. God, I feel like I'm your wife,' she said without thinking, but then she flinched and closed her eyes as she realised what she had just said, and she turned apologetically to Wyatt. 'God. S-sorry, Wyatt, I didn't think, that was…terrible, I-'

'Lucy, it's fine,' Wyatt reassured her gently, and she was shocked to see that he was smiling, as if he were amused by her insensitive remark. 'The others have been making old-married-couple jokes about us two for months, it hasn't bothered me in a while. Now c'mon, let's buy these and get changed.'

Once they were dressed in their new appropriate clothing, Lucy and Wyatt then headed through town towards Joe McCarthy's location: the U.S. Senate.

'I dig the '50s,' Wyatt said, an unusually cheerful bounce in his step as they crossed the road.

'I don't know,' Lucy said doubtfully, 'a bunch of racist, repressed Ward Cleavers? This whole place is a powder keg.'

'But the cars are cool,' Wyatt pointed out, as they began to head up the steps towards the great white building before them.

'Oh, yeah,' Lucy agreed, but before Wyatt could do anything more than grin at her, three besuited, stern-looking men stopped them.

'A word, please,' one of the men said calmly.

'Yeah, can I help you?' Wyatt asked.

'FBI,' the man replied, reaching into Wyatt's coat jacket pocket and removing a pistol gun from inside that hadn't been there seconds before. 'Russian.'

'Okay, you _just_ planted that on me,' Wyatt said, disbelieving.

'We heard two commies were here to disrupt the McCarthy hearings,' the FBI agent said, smiling rather creepily, and Lucy cast Wyatt a dark glance. 'Will you come with us please?'

'You sons of bi-'

'Wyatt, no,' Lucy interrupted him sharply, and she neared to him to speak in a quiet voice so the agents couldn't hear. 'This is Flynn's doing. Do what they say, we might even get a chance to see him, find out what he's planning.'

Wyatt sighed. 'Fine. Do what you have to do,' he said grudgingly to the agents, and so they went willingly with them into the building.

Lucy had hoped that she and Wyatt would be kept together as they were escorted upstairs, but it soon became apparent that that was not to be when the FBI agents began dragging them in opposite directions down different corridors.

'N-no, no, no!' Lucy protested, reaching out for Wyatt's hand, but he was already too far away.

'Wait, no, where are you taking her?' Wyatt demanded, struggling against the agent's hold of him.

The agent smirked at him. 'Some place safe.'

'No,' Wyatt said firmly, gazing desperately over at Lucy, 'we stay together, you can't-'

'Oh yes, we can,' the agent interrupted, frowning at him. 'We know how you spies work. You two are going to be questioned in separate rooms. See if your stories match.'

Wyatt was shaking his head urgently, fighting against the agent's hold. 'Please. Neither of us are spies, but nothing ever good happens if we're separated, so please, for our safety, just let us be questioned in the same room-'

'Wyatt, it's okay,' Lucy interrupted him softly, and Wyatt stopped talking; she gave him a reassuring smile. 'It's okay. Just do as they say.'

He sighed heavily. 'I'll see you soon, yeah?'

And with that, they were taken away to different rooms, both wondering anxiously if and when they would be released and allowed to see each other. Lucy was left in a guarded room, and was told to wait until her interrogation. She couldn't believe this. She and Wyatt had only been wandering the streets for barely ten minutes and yet they had already somehow managed to get arrested on suspicion of being Soviet spies. Although, after all their mishaps in previous missions, this was just another typical working day for them.

It didn't come as much of a surprise to Lucy when Garcia Flynn strolled casually into her room.

'Don't worry. Your Wyatt's fine,' was his greeting.

Lucy didn't bother to retort back, because there was no point in pretending that she wasn't overcome with relief at his words. She hated that Flynn knew her well enough to know that her mind had been clouded with worried thoughts about Wyatt ever since she had been brought into this room. Flynn then proceeded to warn Lucy that he was planning to kill all the Rittenhouse members tonight, including Lucy's grandfather, Ethan Cahill…which wasn't exactly going to result in anything good for Lucy. But Lucy wasn't too concerned, because she was starting to see past that monstrous mask Flynn wore, and knew that deep down, Flynn wanted her to stop him committing these terrible deeds. He was sad and lonely and desperately wanting revenge and closure, and she told him so.

'I think you're a broken person,' Lucy murmured heavily, 'who misses the people that they love. Just like…me, just like Wyatt.'

'Don't talk about my family like you know them,' Flynn said quietly.

'You want to stop Rittenhouse, we'll help you. But not like this,' Lucy said, firm.

Flynn stepped over to her, desperate and angry. 'How?' he demanded, his expression hopeless, his tone pleading, and Lucy looked away, unable to answer. 'You don't know. Because there is no other way. Goodbye, Lucy.'

And with that Flynn turned and walked away. Lucy watched him go, feeling more desperately sorry for this pitiful, broken man than she ever thought she would, before her thoughts strayed once more to Wyatt, and she wondered whether or not he would be able to find them a way out of this in time to follow and stop Flynn.

Meanwhile, Wyatt had been sat on a chair in the middle of an office at the other end of the building, guarded by two members of security, for a considerable amount of time now, and he was beginning to get rather anxious and bothered. What were they doing to Lucy? What was going to happen to them? He didn't even know which room she was in…how could he have been so stupid to let them be parted?

Wyatt's reverie was broken by the sound of the office door opening, and he looked up, surprised, to see a man in a pale blue suit enter.

'I'm Senator Joseph McCarthy,' he announced, smiling down at his prisoner in a condescending way. 'And you're a communist spy.'

'Where's the woman?' Wyatt asked at once in a low but dangerous voice, trying to remain calm but knowing that if anything had happened to Lucy, if she had been hurt in _any_ way…then this bastard stood in front of him was going to face the consequences.

'Your wife is fine,' McCarthy replied simply.

Wyatt didn't even blink at his words. It wasn't the first time a stranger had assumed that Wyatt and Lucy were married. But it was the first time where it hadn't annoyed, or even slightly stung, Wyatt. It was the first time where he hadn't been plagued with guilt about it. He realised then that he wasn't bothered anymore if people thought that he and Lucy were a couple. It didn't even make him think about Jessica or worry about how betrayed she would have felt if she'd heard or seen it. All he could think about was Lucy.

After a tense conversation with McCarthy, it didn't take long for Wyatt to escape his confinement – after all, they hadn't even bothered to tie him up – and so, leaving a trail of beaten, unconscious security guards in his wake, Wyatt charged down the corridors in search of Lucy. He found her room quickly, recognising the FBI agent stood outside who had escorted her away.

Inside the room, Lucy looked away from the window in shock as she heard a heavy thwack from outside, and she turned to the door just in time to see it flung open as the agent's unconscious body collapsed onto the floor. Wyatt was stood in the doorway, looking breathless.

'Um…we should go,' he said awkwardly, nodding at her urgently.

Lucy laughed in relief. 'I am so glad to see you right now,' she said, rushing over to him.

'Likewise, come on!' Wyatt said, and he took hold of her wrist and led the way down the corridor and down the steps, anxious to get out of the building.

'Do I even want to know what happened to McCarthy?' Lucy asked warily as they hurried outside and down the marble steps.

'Oh, he'll be fine in an hour…or two,' Wyatt admitted airily, and Lucy wiggled her eyebrows, but then Wyatt was distracted by the voice of a nearby security guard who had emerged not so far behind them.

'This is the only way out, so they gotta be here…' the guard was saying.

Instinctively, Wyatt grabbed Lucy by the arm and swung her around out of sight from the guards; she gasped at his urgent touch as he pressed her against a nearby marble pillar for them to hide, his arm held up in a protective stance to block her from view. Lucy was breathing nervously; Wyatt's other arm had somehow fallen around her waist in his urgency to get her to safety away from those security guards. Only just realising their lack of personal space, Wyatt released his hold of her.

'The only problem is, now we're gonna have to find a new way to the summit,' Wyatt murmured agitatedly.

'I saw Flynn,' Lucy said quietly, not wanting to hold anything back, and as Wyatt looked at her in surprise she couldn't help her eyes flickering to his lips – it was hard not to with him stood so closely in front of her and with his face looking so devastatingly handsome as he leaned against her, protecting her from harm. 'He said that my grandfather was going to be there, Ethan Cahill? My mother told me that she met him once, that he was a White House aide. I mean, if he's going to the summit-'

'We could follow him,' Wyatt finished for her, catching on with her train of thought, and she nodded; glancing behind him to check if all was clear, Wyatt then put his arms on her waist and guided her away surreptitiously. 'Go.'

Lucy smirked. 'I am capable of walking independently, you know.'

'I-I know,' Wyatt said, flustered, as he quickly removed his hands from her waist, 'I'm just trying to…'

'Wyatt, I was joking,' Lucy said, laughing, as they hurried on out of view of the security guards.

Wyatt laughed back, relieved. 'Oh good, I thought you were going to accuse me of not being a feminist or something-'

'Let's just keep walking,' Lucy interrupted exasperatedly, rolling her eyes.

They found Ethan Cahill's parking space near the White House quite easily, and managed to break into a car opposite his, where they decided to wait for Cahill to show up. As the sun began to set and the sky darkened around them Lucy and Wyatt talked for a while sat side-by-side in the front of the car, about Rufus and Jiya and Rittenhouse and their expectations of the 50's…until Wyatt decided to address the elephant in the room.

'So…I know I was a bit of a jerk about him, but…Noah seems nice,' he said airily. 'Maybe a bit too fancy, but…'

Lucy's lips twitched. '"A bit too fancy"?'

'W-well, yeah. You know, in the pretty-doctor way,' Wyatt said grudgingly, embarrassed.

'Aw, you think he's pretty?' Lucy said teasingly, and she nudged him in the elbow as he rolled his eyes. 'Well he's all yours if you want him. I ended it.'

It took a moment for Wyatt to register what she had just said, and he looked up at her in surprise. 'You did what?'

'I broke up with him,' Lucy replied, simply and calmly. 'I'm sure he saw it coming, I haven't worn the ring in months, and we've hardly seen each other. I just kept avoiding it but…my life has just really blown up in the past week and…I've had enough with secrets and lies. I was being dishonest and unfair to him by keeping it up. It was all just pretend for me.'

'I'm sorry. Must have been hard,' Wyatt murmured, and he felt a surge of guilt as he realised that he was actually secretly pleased at the news.

Lucy sighed heavily. 'I hated that I had to hurt him, when he did nothing to deserve it. But I feel…relieved?' she admitted. 'I'm glad it's over. I'm free now.'

Wyatt tilted his head at her sympathetically. 'So…have you not felt free to date all this time because of him?'

'W-well that's beside the point,' Lucy said, blushing, 'I think we can both agree dating opportunities have been pretty slim this past year.'

'That's very true,' Wyatt agreed, laughing, but then his face fell. 'Not that I would have been interested at the time anyway. I haven't really wanted to…date…since…well, you know, for the last five years.'

'No, I can understand that,' Lucy murmured, smiling sadly at him.

Wyatt frowned curiously at her. 'What's stopping _you_ though?'

'Oh. Well…I don't know,' she lied, mortified.

A hint of a smile appeared on Wyatt's face, and then he sighed thoughtfully as he gazed out of the car window. 'I guess I could ask myself the same question now,' he murmured wearily.

Lucy inclined her head at him, her heart racing. She knew she was being ridiculous to hope that Wyatt could even consider the idea of being open about a potential relationship with…well, with _anyone_ , particularly after what he had just gone through when trying to get Jessica back. He was traumatised, he was grieving, he was heartbroken. But he also seemed to have changed. This week had seen Wyatt become a new man – or rather, perhaps, the man he had once been before his wife's tragic death – and now he appeared more accepting of what had happened and seemed to finally have closure…It gave Lucy hope that perhaps Wyatt wouldn't stay stuck in his pit of despair and loneliness and self-hatred for much longer. Perhaps he would finally let himself try and find happiness.

'What do you mean?' Lucy asked quietly.

After a short hesitation, Wyatt opened his mouth to reply, but then seemed to think better of it and said nothing. Instead, he inclined his head in Lucy's direction and gazed at her sat beside him, watching him carefully, and he could practically hear her heart beating wildly against her chest, and feel her nervous breathing. Maybe this was it. Maybe in this cosy car, with just the two of them and the night sky, Wyatt could try to confess to her the feelings that had long been brewing but he had been repressing for so long, out of fear and guilt. Maybe he could tell her that, although he wasn't ready now, he wanted to be ready at _some_ point, in the near future. He knew that, eventually, he would maybe want to make a go of whatever this was between them. His eyes flickered to her lips as he tried to think of the words to say…but then he saw the moving figures emerging into the parking lot over Lucy's shoulder.

'Crap, people are coming out of the building,' Wyatt muttered, grimacing as he began to fiddle with the wires under the steering wheel. 'I should have hot-wired this earlier.'

Lucy watched him for a minute as he set to work, amused. 'Rufus is a lot faster at that, by the way,' she murmured.

Wyatt turned to raise his eyebrows at her, before turning back to finish off – within a few seconds, the wires had crackled and the engine sparked to life.

'That's him,' Lucy said urgently; she had spotted a man getting into Ethan Cahill's car, and she smiled, awestruck, as she watched him set off. 'Okay, Grandpa…where are you going?'

They followed him down the dark, icy roads until Cahill parked outside an obscure building about half an hour away. Giving him a bit of a head start, Lucy and Wyatt then followed him inside. They entered what appeared to be some sort of reception room, filled with dashing besuited men, all drinking and chatting. There was a bar over in the corner, and armchairs and tables, and sensual jazz music was playing in the background. Lucy and Wyatt frowned, confused, as they looked around at the groups of men, all talking rather animatedly and brushing each other's arms.

'Is it just me or is Rittenhouse way more gay than I thought it would be?' Wyatt muttered under his breath to Lucy, raising his eyebrows at two flirting men over by the corner of the room.

'I don't think this is the Rittenhouse summit,' Lucy said thoughtfully. 'I think this might be a gay bar.'

Wyatt turned to her and frowned. 'Well then what is your grandpa-? _Ohh_ ,' he said, realising what Lucy was getting at, and Lucy raised her eyebrows.

'Yeah. C'mon, we need to look…inconspicuous,' Lucy said awkwardly, leading the way into the centre of the bar, as she kept her eye firmly on Ethan Cahill, who was leant over by the bar.

Wyatt chuckled. 'We're a heterosexual couple in a gay bar, we couldn't be less inconspicuous.'

'We're a what?' Lucy said, her voice breaking slightly as she stared at him.

'W-well, our cover,' Wyatt replied, as if it were obvious.

Lucy's lips twitched. 'I didn't realise that was our cover.'

Wyatt rolled his eyes, embarrassed, and turned his focus back to keeping watch on Ethan Cahill, surrounded by other men over at the bar.

'So if you exist…that means Grandpa was, like, _way_ deep in the closet,' Wyatt murmured, as 'Hey There' began to play through the speakers.

'It's 1954. You'd be arrested for being gay,' Lucy explained sadly.

Incredulous, Wyatt turned back to Cahill only to spot a young man stood not too far from them, looking Wyatt up and down with no subtlety at all, and he smirked playfully over at Wyatt.

Wyatt's eyes widened in horror. 'He's looking at me like I'm a piece of meat,' he muttered, mortified.

Lucy rolled her eyes. 'Can't imagine what that's like,' she replied coolly.

Wyatt repressed a laugh, knowing Lucy had a point – they could both vividly remember how even he had stared her up and down like that during their first mission to the Hindenburg, when he'd been checking out her underwire bra while trapped in that horrendous jail cell.

Soon after, they managed to catch a moment where Ethan Cahill had been left alone by his male companions; Lucy seized the opportunity at once to approach her young grandfather and gain his trust so that he would take them to the Rittenhouse summit that Flynn had no doubt already arrived at. Wyatt offered Lucy to drive so that she could talk to her grandfather, while he stayed in the back and provided moral support as Lucy tried to comfort Cahill over his distress about being a homosexual and trying shock therapy to rid himself of his feelings. When they arrived at the summit, Cahill distracted the guards while Lucy and Wyatt headed down into the basement, where they figured Flynn would be lurking.

They turned out to be right; as Wyatt led the way into the basement with his gun at the ready, he frowned at the sight of all the explosive devices that had been fixed to the poles and furniture in the room – Flynn was definitely here. As the two of them crept forward, Wyatt peered around the corner and saw the man himself, preoccupied with fitting more explosives around the room.

'He's alone,' Wyatt whispered to Lucy. 'I can get the drop on him.'

Wyatt crossed to the other side of the room, but as he held up his gun to aim at Flynn and clicked the trigger so that it was ready to fire, Lucy crossed over to stand right in front of the gun, her back to Wyatt.

'Flynn,' Lucy said sharply, and Wyatt flinched, grunting in shock, as Flynn spun round at once and aimed his own gun at her and holding out the detonator to the explosive devices.

'Lucy!' Wyatt cried, panicked, but Lucy turned to face him with a strangely reassuring look on her face.

'Wyatt, please,' she said desperately, and something in her eyes made him freeze, unsure of what to do, as she turned back to face their enemy. 'I'm not here to fight. I want to help you.'

Flynn frowned at her suspiciously, not believing her. Wyatt stared at them both, wondering what on earth was going through Lucy's mind. The red light on the detonator held up in Flynn's hand was starting to make his hand shake a little bit. Why was Lucy stood so close to him? She could be killed instantly…and Wyatt couldn't risk that.

'Drop it, Flynn,' he said warningly.

'I'm gonna blow this place up with all of us in it, and it'll be worth it,' Flynn snapped back fiercely.

Lucy held up her hands at both of them. 'Stop, stop! Both of you, just stop it,' she said urgently, breathing deeply.

She glanced pleadingly at Wyatt and he nodded at her, giving her the go-ahead. She turned back to Flynn, and Wyatt was shocked to see her take a few steps forward to Flynn.

'I know that you're not a bad man,' Lucy murmured to Flynn. 'I know that you're hurting. I know that you don't want to kill a room full of people upstairs.'

Flynn shook his head, looking furious and close to tears. 'I don't want to kill them. I _have_ to kill them,' he said through gritted teeth, his voice shaking, 'to put my wife and child back on this earth.'

But Lucy was shaking her head. 'It won't work.'

'You don't know that and both of you would do the same!' Flynn snapped, choked up, and Wyatt felt a lump rise in his throat.

Lucy hesitated and glanced over her shoulder at Wyatt, who was looking at her warningly, terrified of whatever it was she was trying to accomplish, and she turned back helplessly to Flynn. 'You're right. You're right, we would. We are all so caught up in our grief, in our past, in our pain, and we can't let go, so we just continue to hurt more people.'

Flynn stared at her, his eyes bloodshot. 'I prayed to God…for answers,' he whispered, his gun still held aloft at Lucy. 'And he led me here to this.'

Lucy took another few steps forward. 'What if he led you to me?' she asked. 'I know a way that we can _really_ take out Rittenhouse. We have to stop trying to fix the past, and focus on the present.'

Wyatt lifted his head up at her words. He was shaken.

'I need you to hear me out. I know what to do now. Please, before it's too late,' Lucy went on firmly, a hint of desperation in her voice, and Flynn's hand was beginning to shake now, his eyes welling up with tears. 'The journal…didn't it say that I was going to help you one day? Well, maybe today is that day.'

Flynn considered her words for a moment, then, taking a deep breath, he looked inquisitively over at Wyatt, who was still pointing his gun at him. Lucy understood Flynn's gesture at once – he wasn't going to go along with Lucy's plan unless he knew for sure it wasn't a trap. Lucy turned slowly back to Wyatt.

'Wyatt,' she said in small, gentle voice as she gazed at him with tearful eyes. 'Do you trust me?'

Breathing uneasily and aware of the wetness in his own eyes, Wyatt gazed back at her for a moment, then looked over at Flynn. He looked defeated, broken, helpless and desperate for whatever solution Lucy was proposing. Perhaps Lucy had indeed managed to work her incredible magic to bring this man away from the dark side for once. Looking back at Lucy, Wyatt realised it was no good – even if he didn't believe Flynn would stay on their side, there was no way he could go against Lucy, particularly with her looking at him like that with those devastatingly beautiful, pleading eyes. He believed her logic more than he believed his own gut instincts now.

Wyatt reluctantly held his gun down, and stepped out with his eyes on Flynn as a gesture of peace. Lucy smiled as he dug his gun back in his jacket pocket. She had never doubted Wyatt. She never could. Not now.

After a brief, tense discussion in which Lucy convinced them that they needed to head back to the Lifeboat, Lucy then led Wyatt and Flynn out of the basement, where they regrouped with Ethan Cahill and all got back into the car. Dawn was just breaking as they began to drive along the roads back to reunite with Rufus and Jiya at the barn, and as they went Wyatt glanced at Lucy from the drivers' seat.

'I hope you know what you're doing,' he murmured softly, uncomfortably aware of Flynn's presence sat behind him in the backseat with Cahill.

Lucy turned to gaze at him from the passenger seat and nodded. 'I do,' she replied.

Wyatt smiled; that was all he needed to hear. He had faith in her, because how could he not? After all, if there was one person left in this whole world that Wyatt trusted, it could only be Lucy Preston.


	22. Not Ready To Say Goodbye

**This chapter concludes 1x16, and also covers the very beginning of 2x01 :)**

* * *

When they drove into the barn an hour later, they knew something was wrong at once – the Lifeboat was still there, but Rufus had a look of sheer panic and despair on his face as he hurried agitatedly up to them.

'Thank God. Thank God you're here,' he said anxiously, as Lucy, Wyatt and the others got out of the car. 'We got to get Jiya back home. She's in the Lifeboat. Something happened to her.'

'What? What-what are you talking about?' Lucy asked worriedly, but Rufus froze when he caught sight of one of the passengers emerging from the backseat.

'What the hell is Flynn doing here?' he said, shaken.

'No, no, no, Rufus, it's okay,' Wyatt said reassuringly, holding his hand out.

'No, it's _not_ okay. All right? He had Al Capone shoot me!' Rufus said sharply.

'Rufus, he's not here to hurt you,' Lucy said earnestly, while Cahill watched on with a bewildered expression.

'No, this time I'm not,' Flynn confirmed meekly, smiling over at Rufus.

Lucy sighed, then decided to make the introductions. 'Rufus, this is Ethan Cahill. Ethan, this is Rufus – he pilots the time machine,' Lucy said heavily, and she turned to face Cahill, 'and we're from 2017.'

Cahill stared at them all. 'This a joke? This is a fil-film prop, right?' he said, pointing at the Lifeboat stood before them, and he laughed when Lucy shook his head at him. 'You're all insane.'

Rufus grabbed Lucy's arm; there wasn't enough time for this. 'Look. We got to get Jiya back home. _Now_ ,' he said urgently in a low voice.

'Okay, you guys go ahead, get Jiya back,' Lucy said to Wyatt and Rufus, thinking fast. 'I have to stay here.'

Wyatt felt his stomach drop, barely registering the way Rufus turned, confused and horrified, to face him.

'What are you talking about? What do you mean?' Wyatt asked Lucy quickly, his expression blank, his heart racing uncomfortably, his fingers twitching.

'I'll go with Flynn in the Mothership,' Lucy replied, glancing uneasily back at their two guests. 'I need Ethan to see this thing in action.'

Wyatt looked outraged. 'Lucy, _no_. No way,' he said firmly.

Lucy simply gazed back at him, a resigned expression on her face, and Wyatt felt his lips part as he stared back at her, overwhelmed by how much he cared, by how afraid he was of her safety. He knew that look in her eyes; he knew her mind was set, and she was too stubborn to change her mind, particularly now she had a plan in motion. Wyatt knew that logically, her idea was their best shot at success. But that didn't mean he was happy about it. And it certainly didn't mean he was going to willingly strand her here in the past with her former kidnapper.

Wyatt glanced fearfully over at Flynn, then took a few steps forward to Lucy so that he was stood merely inches from her. 'Look. We already lost you once. I can _not_ lose you again,' he said to her fiercely, his voice shaking as he gazed into her eyes.

Wyatt could still vividly remember how he had felt when Flynn had taken Lucy away in the Mothership after killing David Rittenhouse. He could recall those excruciatingly long hours waiting for the Lifeboat to charge…the constant wondering about whether Lucy was being harmed…the not knowing whether they would ever be able to get her back. How lost he had felt without her. The sight of her empty seat in the Lifeboat. He couldn't go through that again. And he couldn't let Lucy put herself through that again either.

Lucy smiled sadly at Wyatt, their close proximity so familiar now that it didn't even make her as nervous as she normally would have been. She was overwhelmingly touched by how protective he was of her. But she couldn't let her emotions get in the way of this, or let his affectionate words and longing gaze prevent her from doing what she had to do, no matter how much she wanted to.

'You've trusted me this long. I just need you to do it a little longer, okay?' Lucy said calmly, trying to sound reassuring, and she looked back to Rufus. 'Get Jiya back.'

Wyatt considered her for a moment then let out a shaky breath before glaring at Flynn. 'If you hurt her-' he began in a dangerous voice, but Flynn interrupted him.

'What? You'll try and kill me again?' he said sceptically, raising his eyebrows.

Rufus stepped forward and squeezed Lucy's arm. 'Be careful,' he murmured gently.

'Okay,' Lucy said, smiling and nodding at him.

Rufus walked past Wyatt to set up the Lifeboat ready to take off, but Wyatt barely noticed. The only thing he could see was Lucy, stood right before him, looking beautiful in that elegant sky-blue outfit he had helped choose for her, and with desperate longing in those stunning eyes of hers…He shook his head in disbelief, hating himself for going against everything his gut and heart was telling him by going along with this reckless plan…

Lucy gazed back at him breathlessly, unable to think of the right words to say. She couldn't believe how concerned he was. Maybe Jiya hadn't been exaggerating after all when she had told him about how Wyatt had reacted to her kidnapping a few months ago. His eyes wet, Wyatt then attempted a small smile at her and reluctantly began to back away.

'It'll be okay,' Lucy reassured him as he left her side, hoping her words sounded convincing.

She watched sadly as Wyatt walked away but then just before he reached the Lifeboat, he stopped and turned back to look at her, anguished. She attempted a small, hopeful smile and waved in farewell with a tentative wiggle of her gloved fingers. Wyatt couldn't tear his eyes away from her; how could he leave Lucy here, with this monster? What if she got hurt, or trapped here in the past? After all, it was no longer just Wyatt's job to protect her – it was the one solid desire in his life that was keeping him going now.

But then his eyes fell on Ethan Cahill over Lucy's shoulder, and he remembered the mission and what was at stake here…and so, putting his soldier front back on, Wyatt turned back to the Lifeboat and climbed up into the capsule where Rufus and an unconscious Jiya were waiting. The capsule door had already slid shut before Wyatt had chance to get one last look at Lucy, whose hand was still raised in farewell, her forced smile seemingly frozen on her face as she prayed internally that she would see the Lifeboat and its passengers again.

* * *

'What the hell did we just do?'

Rufus turned around from the pilot's seat as the capsule door opened to frown at Wyatt, who was sat staring into space with wide eyes, looking horrified, his face white as a sheet.

'What d'you mean?' Rufus asked.

'We just left Lucy,' Wyatt said blankly, his voice barely more than a whisper, and he turned, appalled, to face Rufus. 'We just… _left_ her there. With Flynn!'

'And she had her reasons,' Rufus said indignantly. 'She needed to tell Cahill about-'

'But I should have stayed with her-'

'Wyatt, there's no point freaking out about it now, she made her mind up, it's done,' Rufus interrupted firmly. 'She'll be fine. Now c'mon, we gotta get Jiya to a hospital-'

'What if Rittenhouse catch us?' Wyatt asked as they unbuckled an unconscious Jiya and carried out down from the Lifeboat.

Rufus scoffed. 'I don't care, she needs a doctor, like, _now_.'

'Okay, well how about you take Jiya and get Agent Christopher,' Wyatt suggested anxiously, 'and I'll stay here and keep an eye on the Lifeboat and…'

'And watch out for Lucy,' Rufus finished for him. 'Yeah, good idea.'

Once Rufus had left in a cab with Jiya, Wyatt changed back into his modern-day clothes and then propped up a loose box in front of the Lifeboat so he could keep guard, his eyes on the entrance of the warehouse. He sincerely hoped that Lucy would know to find him here – the coast was clear now that Rittenhouse had raided the place since their last trip. It would be fine…Lucy would talk to Ethan Cahill, then convince Flynn to drop her back off here in the Mothership, and she would come instantly to Wyatt, and everything would be all right…

Trying not to think of everything that could possibly go wrong, Wyatt waited anxiously, and slowly the minutes turned to hours as his unruly imagination conjured up horrific images of Flynn pointing a gun at Lucy's head, of the Mothership breaking and Lucy being trapped in the fifties…

And then he heard the door clatter open at the top of the steps.

Leaping up to his feet, Wyatt grabbed his gun out from his jeans pocket and held it aloft. And then he saw the long sky-blue coat sweeping the bannister…

'Lucy!' Wyatt said in relief, and, dropping his gun, he ran to her.

'Wyatt!' Lucy cried, hurrying down the steps; he took her in his arms just as she reached the bottom step, and lifted her off onto the floor, where he buried his head into her shoulder.

Lucy was half-crying, half-laughing as she wrapped her arms fiercely around him. They had only been parted for a few hours but it had felt like days. She was still dazed that Flynn had actually managed to persuade Emma to drop Lucy back off here.

'He didn't hurt you?' Wyatt said in surprise, leaning away from Lucy but keeping a firm hold of her arms.

'No, he didn't,' Lucy replied, laughing.

He cupped her face. 'You're okay?'

'I'm okay,' Lucy reassured him, placing her hand over his, and, laughing, he drew her into another hug.

'You are never doing that to me again, all right?' Wyatt said, breathing in the delicious scent of her soft, silky hair.

'Well I may never have to,' Lucy said brightly, breaking apart from Wyatt, 'if the plan with Ethan worked.'

'How do we find out?' Wyatt asked her.

'We track him down, and go and see him,' Lucy replied simply.

'We?' Wyatt said, smiling in relief. 'You're all right for me to come with you, then?'

'I want you to,' Lucy said at once. 'If that's okay…'

Wyatt tilted his head at her. 'Of course. But c'mon, first, you need some food and rest. And then tomorrow we'll go,' he said gently, touching her arm. 'Yeah?'

Lucy hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. 'Okay.'

As they sneaked outside into town to buy some food and some modern-day clothes for Lucy, Lucy couldn't help wondering how long Wyatt had been sat there waiting for her. The thought of it made her heart race uncontrollably like a lovestruck teenager. They bought another camp bed for the warehouse, as Lucy was also a fugitive now, and she couldn't risk putting her mother in danger from Rittenhouse if she went back to her house. While they settled in for the evening, Wyatt caught Lucy up on what she had missed – Agent Christopher was being held at Mason Industries, though had been in contact with Wyatt and seemed to have a secret idea up her sleeve, and Rufus and Jiya were at a private hospital under false names, where Jiya seemed to be doing much better. Lucy then went over her plan with Wyatt – she had told Ethan Cahill that if this was to work, he would have to stay inside Rittenhouse as a double agent for his whole life…but whether he did it successfully or not, they couldn't be sure yet.

'Are you okay?' Wyatt asked gently later that night, as he and Lucy lay on their separate camp beds and gazed across at each other. 'You seem to be taking all this pretty well, considering…'

'Considering I'm in hiding?' Lucy finished for him, and they smirked at each other. 'Y'know, after everything we've been through, everything we've faced, all those close calls…I'm just glad we're safe and in 2017. We'll figure out the rest as we go. One problem at a time.'

'One problem at a time,' Wyatt agreed, smiling softly at her from his pillow.

When they woke up the next morning, the two of them headed instantly to the nearest library, where they researched Ethan Cahill on the internet. After a few phone calls with Rufus and Agent Christopher for some help, they eventually found his location – at a nursing home quite a few hours away from Oakland. It was dark by the time Lucy and Wyatt arrived at the home, having 'borrowed' a car for their long journey, and they took a few minutes before they stepped in so that Lucy could let out a few deep breaths, feeling suddenly nervous and apprehensive about meeting her grandfather properly. Squeezing her hand, Wyatt then led them up the steps and into the reception area.

'Ethan never mentioned a granddaughter before,' one of the nurses said as she escorted Lucy and Wyatt through into a lounge.

'Well, we haven't seen each other in a few years, but…seems like no time at all,' Lucy murmured, and she looked over to see an elderly man sat by himself in a wheelchair by a grand fireplace.

'Go ahead,' the nurse said encouragingly, and she turned to leave.

'Thank you,' Wyatt said to her as she walked out of the room, and he followed Lucy as she crept tentatively over to the old man, who appeared to be sleeping.

She glanced nervously at Wyatt, who gave her a warm smile and nod; Lucy knelt down beside the old man. Slowly, his eyes opened.

'Hi, Ethan,' Lucy said gently, as Wyatt moved to stand behind her. 'Remember us?'

Cahill glanced uneasily from Lucy to Wyatt, and then his eyes widened in delight. 'Lucy? I didn't think you'd come!' he said in disbelief. 'I'd almost given up.'

Lucy smiled, her eyes watering. 'Sorry it took us so long.'

'Oh, oh, this is incredible,' Cahill said, reaching out to cup his granddaughter's face, and she took his hand in hers. 'You look exactly the same. Both of you. The '60s rolled by, the '70s…sometimes I wondered if I had dreamt it all. You-you have no idea…how often I considered running.'

'So, what stopped you?' Wyatt asked, curious.

'Well, the day my son told me that he'd fathered a child. A little girl named Lucy,' Cahill replied, and the two men smiled fondly down at Lucy.

Lucy swallowed. 'It must have been so hard,' she murmured tearfully, her voice shaking. 'I'm sorry.'

Cahill nodded. 'You want to know if I did what you asked me to do? Uh, son, can you pick up that clock over there?' he asked Wyatt.

'Yeah,' Wyatt replied, and he went to pick up the antique clock that had been placed on a table near Cahill's wheelchair.

Lucy sat down on an armchair opposite as Cahill opened up the clock, and removed a slip of paper that had been concealed inside. Wyatt sat down beside Lucy and frowned as Lucy stared at the small piece of paper in Cahill's hands.

'That's all?' she asked, unable to hide her disappointment.

'Open it,' was Cahill's answer.

She did so, and held it out for her and Wyatt to read together: in the centre of the page was a hand-written address of a house in San Francisco. She looked up questioningly at her grandfather.

'Go there. All the information you'll ever need on Rittenhouse is stored there,' Cahill promised, and he smiled at them both. 'You won't be disappointed.'

He was not wrong. When Lucy and Wyatt headed to Cahill's location the next day, they were stunned to find an abandoned building filled with endless cabinets and boxes, all containing decades' worth of files on all Rittenhouse's activities.

Lucy smiled, dazed, as she looked through some of the papers. 'He didn't just keep records of Rittenhouse. He built us an entire case,' she said triumphantly.

'Yeah,' Wyatt agreed, impressed – this was all Lucy's doing. Her idea had now made it possible for them to take Rittenhouse down. And Wyatt was completely awestruck.

Over the next few days, Agent Christopher helped them sort through the documents and authenticated them with hard evidence using Connor Mason's specialised software. Together, she and Mason himself used the information to systematically topple the organisation, and Agent Neville and Benjamin Cahill were consequently taken out of Mason Industries and arrested, along with the other Rittenhouse agents who had been brought in.

Lucy, Wyatt and Rufus were now no longer fugitives – Wyatt had even been given a pardon for stealing the Lifeboat, and after taking Lucy's advice and speaking to an attorney, he agreed to sign the confession Agent Christopher had previously presented to him, though he was reluctant to do so. He knew this meant he would be sent far away on some obscure, deadly mission with Delta Force…and Wyatt didn't want to be sent away. He didn't want to leave Lucy. He didn't know how he could, not after all that had happened. He didn't know how all this could suddenly just end, after over a year of life-changing trips together back into the past. But the assignment was over – Flynn had been arrested, even though Lucy had spoken against it and tried to help him get justice by giving him the name of the person behind the assassination of his family – and there was nothing left to do now. The missions were over. Rittenhouse was finished. And that was that.

When Wyatt checked into Mason Industries for one last time to bid farewell to the workplace he had grown very fond of, he was happy to see that Rufus was finally back from the hospital – Jiya was being released later, having recovered from her seizure, and Rufus was in particularly high spirits having just exchanged declarations of love with his devoted girlfriend. Wyatt was thrilled for him, and pleased that he didn't even feel a slight twinge of bitterness or jealousy. Perhaps that was because Lucy had strolled in, all smart and classy in a new blue blazer and glossy, curled hair, and thrown her arms around Rufus with such a jolly beam on her face that it was hard for Wyatt to feel anything but joy.

While Rufus went to check through the systems for the Lifeboat, which he had piloted back to Mason Industries since the Rittenhouse agents had left, Lucy and Wyatt then headed up into the familiar conference room for a final briefing with Agent Christopher. She was smiling away, looking the most relaxed they had ever seen her.

'Good news. We've made 42 Rittenhouse arrests across the globe just today – brings our total to 150. A few are in government. A surprising number are corporate lawyers,' she told them both, and Lucy and Wyatt glanced at each other incredulously. 'And our agents are on their way right now to pick up the Mothership. You should both be very proud.'

'Hmm. And Flynn? I mean, in the end, he did do the right thing, too,' Lucy murmured, and Wyatt sighed, annoyed that Lucy seemed to feel the need to defend the terrorist they had been fighting against all this time.

'He'll be tried in a private military court,' Agent Christopher replied calmly. 'Everything will be by the book. You have my word.'

'God, we couldn't have at least let him save his family first?' Lucy asked irritably.

Agent Christopher frowned. 'I'm not gonna apologize for doing my job, especially considering the lengths I had to go to to keep our bargain. But a deal is a deal,' she said with a smile, and Lucy looked up at her in shock, hardly daring to believe it. 'I've secured permission for you to take the Lifeboat out one more time. Get your mom and Henry Wallace together. Get your sister back.'

Wyatt's face broke out in a smile at her words, and he turned to face Lucy, who was gawping at Agent Christopher. Lucy let out a small uncontrollable giggle.

'Agent Christopher, I…I…thank you,' she said breathlessly, lost for words, as Wyatt chuckled fondly.

'It's the very least I can do. I'll go make sure the Lifeboat's charging up,' Agent Christopher said, and she gave Wyatt a knowing glance as she moved past him to leave the room.

There was a moment of silence once Agent Christopher had left, and Lucy smiled nervously at Wyatt. She didn't know what to say to him. She knew he had only come in today to say goodbye to everyone here before leaving for his next assignment. Although she was undoubtedly relieved that these dangerous missions chasing after Flynn or being chased by Rittenhouse were finally over, Lucy couldn't help feeling somewhat sad. Now she had no excuse to spend time with Wyatt. He would be moving away now the job was done, and that was that. The end of an era.

Wyatt was equally as uncomfortable about this very prospect, and he wandered over to the conference room windows to look out at the operations lab one last time. Lucy followed him and leant against the railings as they watched the engineers do their work with the Lifeboat.

'So, what about you?' Lucy asked him. 'You just go back to Pendleton and…take up another mission?'

Wyatt looked up at her and nodded sadly. 'That's how it works,' he replied heavily.

'Oh,' Lucy said, nodding.

Wyatt glanced away from her. He didn't like the way her face had fallen, the disappointment in her eyes. He didn't like any of this one bit. How could this be it? After everything they had been through together?

Lucy then smiled and turned to face him. 'Hey. Thank you,' she said softly, and Wyatt gazed up at her. 'Thank you for everything.'

Wyatt smiled at her for a moment, nodding back, and released a deep breath. 'Eh, we'll stay in touch. I'll call you if I ever need a bossy know-it-all,' he said, because playful joking was the only way he was going to get through this.

'Yeah, I was thinking about texting you the next time that I need a reckless hothead,' Lucy said, matching his tone.

Wyatt smirked. 'Sounds good.'

Lucy laughed softly, and Wyatt wished he could take a snapshot of her laughter in his mind, to remember that image of her face lit up, so happy, so beautiful. Her smile faded into a more serious expression as she gazed at him, nervous at the fact that Wyatt hadn't taken his eyes off her, but he didn't care, and he didn't seem able to wipe the smile off his face either. It was so nice for them to be like this, even if it was just the once…for them both to be happy, at peace, with no enemies to chase after or hide from, or no historical time events to salvage. For one moment, they felt like two normal people, just a man and a woman, smiling away, completely lost in their overwhelming attraction and desperate longing for the other. Wyatt found himself almost shaking his head, dazed, as he took in the sight of her. Lucy had made such an impact on him. How had he not truly seen that until just now? How had he not made the most of it?

Wyatt then opened his arms and as he stepped forward to embrace her, Lucy gave another soft laugh that melted his heart, and they wrapped their arms tenderly around each other. They had never hugged like this before – all the other times, they had mostly been when reuniting after some life-or-death situation, but this…this was different. This was soft, gentle…lingering. And as Wyatt held her close to him and Lucy leaned her head against his shoulder, letting out a comfortable sigh, Wyatt felt his smile slowly disappear and his lips part in shock. He was finally letting himself see and feel what he had pushed away for so long out of guilt…only now he was suddenly able to let go and move on. Before Lucy, he hadn't had much to live for. But since she had come around into his life, this inexplicable bond between them had changed everything for him. And it was then, as he stroked her back lightly and breathed in her scent, wanting to never let her go, that Wyatt realised that he was falling in love with her.

Realising she had been holding onto Wyatt for too long, Lucy slowly broke apart from him, trying to hide the fact that she was blushing. Neither of them could look each other in the eye as she took a step away from him. That hug had been way too intimate for any normal co-workers, and Lucy could not have been more grateful that no one had walked in on them. Wyatt glanced out of the window before turning back to Lucy, looking a little out of sorts.

He swallowed nervously. 'You know, maybe…maybe Pendleton can wait a little bit,' Wyatt said, shaking his head, and Lucy began to smile, her heart racing as he gave her a sly grin. 'You think I'm gonna miss the chance to help you get your sister? See what all this fuss is about?'

Lucy smiled giddily at him, thrilled. They both knew he didn't have to do this. The assignment with Mason Industries was over, Wyatt had a new job now. This was just a personal quest for Lucy…and yet he was offering to accompany her, and she couldn't believe how in love with him she was. But then her smile faded as she remembered the rather pressing issue that had been preventing her from acting on those feelings for so long.

'I'm really sorry that you…won't be able to get Jessica back,' she murmured, and she meant it; she had hated seeing Wyatt so broken, so full of despair and anguish.

Wyatt looked down, let out a deep breath, and then nodded gratefully. He knew that Lucy had always wanted him to be happy, even if that meant drawing a line on their own flirtatious friendship so that he could try and get his wife back, and he was overwhelmed by her selflessness in that regard. But he hadn't been able to save Jessica, and she had been gone for over five years. And he couldn't keep fixating on her ghost when there was someone _real_ , someone pure and alive and loyal and caring stood right in front of him. He couldn't keep pretending or denying the strength of his feelings for this remarkable woman anymore. Gazing back at Lucy now, he could see the love and comfort and solace they could have in each other…if they just let themselves give in to their feelings, if they could be together. It took him a moment to realise that the only person holding them back from exploring that was himself.

'Maybe we do need to…stop trying to fix the past…and start looking at the present,' Wyatt murmured.

Lucy gazed at him, full of wonder. She hadn't realised just how much he had paid attention to her words to Flynn last week. And then he said something that made her heart skip several beats.

'Maybe I do need to be open to possibilities,' Wyatt went on gently, tilting his head at her and looking at her pointedly as a soft smile appeared on his face.

Lucy couldn't tear her eyes off him. She was vividly remembering their whispered conversation in Bonnie and Clyde's spare bed all those months ago, right after they had kissed _…'I think…you…we…anyone…has to be open to possibilities.'_ She had presumed that Wyatt had dismissed her sentiment that night. But clearly, from the way he was looking at her now, she had been mistaken.

Lucy tried to refrain herself from shaking her head, so full of disbelief that Wyatt was really saying these things to her, and a nervous smile crossed her face briefly. 'Possibilities of what?' she asked quietly, her eyes slightly wet, and she took a hesitant step towards him.

Wyatt hesitated as he gazed into her eyes. 'I don't know,' he replied in an almost tantalising tone, and he smiled in an embarrassed sort of way. 'I just know I'm not really ready to say goodbye yet.'

Lucy tilted her head at him, stunned. All this time, she had been telling herself persistently to stop hoping, to stop wondering, to move on, to accept that he was never going to look at her in that way…but now? She knew something significant had happened between them in the past few months, particularly since after her kidnapping…something that had moved their relationship past the normal level of mere co-workers. But this was something she had never allowed herself to even consider happening…at least, apart from in dreams. And now here he was, the man she had fallen in love with, confessing that perhaps she hadn't been alone in her feelings after all. Perhaps there was a chance for them.

She knew she ought to say something, something to encourage him maybe, but Lucy felt like she couldn't speak. She was so surprised, so happy, and so lost in those magical blue eyes that were melting into hers, as if they were piercing her very soul. As Wyatt took in her dazed expression and registered how closely she had moved to stand in from of him, a hint of a smile fell on his face as he continued to gaze at her, knowing from the look in her eyes what she wanted. All he needed to do was to take another step forward and slowly close the short distance between them…

'Ah,' came a sharp voice as Connor Mason came bursting through the open doorway with a clipboard, and Lucy and Wyatt leaned away from each other at once, rather shaken by the abrupt interruption. 'The Lifeboat will be charged and ready to go in three hours, my friends.'

Mason walked past them to the other end of the conference room, and Wyatt rolled his eyes irritably as he watched him go in disbelief. How stupid was that man? Had he not been able to tell that something _very_ important had been going on in here between his two employees? Wyatt looked back at Lucy, annoyed at Mason's extremely poor timing; she was leaning against the railings with an amused smirk on her face, clearly exasperated. This had been their first proper conversation together where they had begun to explicitly address whatever this was between them…but now the moment had passed. She turned to look at Wyatt, and laughed at Wyatt's awkward expression.

'Will you tell Rufus I'll be back in an hour?' she asked him softly. 'There's just…one thing I have to do first.'

'Hm-hm,' Wyatt replied, smiling tenderly at her, and she brushed his arm affectionately as she walked past.

Wyatt turned to watch her leave the room, and took a deep breath, shaken by what had nearly just happened between them, a small smile on his face. He was pleasantly surprised that there was still no guilt there, no fear, no remorse…nothing. No more ghosts from his past. All there was now on his horizon was Lucy. And he couldn't remember the last time he had felt this happy.

* * *

Before he knew it, Wyatt was back in the Lifeboat with Rufus, the two of them dressed in 1970s floral shirts and flared trousers from the wardrobe dock, ready for their mission to bring Carol Preston and Henry Wallace together. Rufus was flicking some switches on the control panel anxiously, determined that they would succeed in their final mission together. They had to, for Lucy. Wyatt was pacing worriedly, glancing repeatedly at his cell phone.

' _Will you tell Rufus I'll be back in an hour? There's just…one thing I have to do first.'_

Wyatt frowned as he stared out of the open capsule doorway; there was still no sign of her. It had been well over an hour since Lucy had left. And _what_ was it she'd had to do? Why hadn't he asked? Why hadn't he gone after her? Wyatt sighed, annoyed with himself for panicking and jumping to the wrong conclusions as always; after all, it wasn't like there was any Rittenhouse left to worry about. But still…something wasn't right. Lucy was never late for a mission. And she never ignored Wyatt's calls.

'We're good to go. Where's Lucy?' Rufus asked from the pilots' seat.

'I don't know. I've called, texted – she's not answering,' Wyatt replied irritably.

Rufus frowned. 'Where she say she was going again?'

'Her mom's, I think.'

'Girl's been obsessed with trying to get her sister back. Now that she can, she's late?' Rufus said sceptically.

Wyatt sighed. 'I'll try her again,' he murmured wearily, dialling her number on his cell phone once more.

As he listened to the ringtone that made him increasingly uneasy, Wyatt rested his knee on the capsule door and looked out at the busy operations lab, hoping that Lucy would appear around the corner at any minute, an exciting beam on her face. As he listened to his cell phone ring, he couldn't help wondering what their next one-to-one conversation would be like, now that he had acknowledged…whatever it was they had going on between them. Would he be brave enough to ask her out for a drink maybe? If this mission went well and they managed to get Amy back, he would need to give Lucy some space obviously, to spend time with her sister. But then…then the opportunities were endless. They would be free to do whatever they wanted at last. At least, they would, if Lucy hurried the hell up and got to the Lifeboat before they ran out of time and had to hand the machine back to Agent Christopher.

His fingers twitching agitatedly, Wyatt then caught sight of something in his peripheral vision – a flashing red light over by Jiya's work station, just below the computers. He frowned as he peered closer, leaning against the capsule door, and froze as he registered the small black device where the red light was flashing from. Wyatt slowly withdrew his cell phone from his ear as he watched the flashing get steadily quicker in merely a second, and some subconscious part of him immediately felt a surge of relief that Lucy hadn't yet arrived as the bomb exploded into smithereens right before them.

'LOOK OUT!' Wyatt yelled, and he turned his head away as the force of the blast hurled him back into the capsule.

As the world shattered and the building blew up around them, Wyatt collapsed against Rufus, who had been knocked out. Wyatt cried out in agony as he felt the shrapnel pierce his back, blood already gushing out from his wounds. His ears were ringing, but he could just about make out the sound of distant screaming and cries for help…and the roaring of nearby flames in the midst of the chaos and destruction outside the protective bubble of the Lifeboat.

'Lucy…' Wyatt whispered in a strained voice as he stared up at the damaged ceiling of the time machine, his eyes blurry, but then the darkness consumed him…and there was nothing.


	23. Six Weeks Later

**This chapter covers the first half of 2x01 :)**

* * *

– _Wyatt –_

The scars on his back still stung as the hot water from the weak shower trickled down onto him. Wyatt pressed his hands against the mouldy, off-yellow brick walls, sighing heavily as he stared down at the grimy floor, before switching off the water and grabbing his towel. Drying himself quickly and wrapping the towel around his waist, Wyatt wandered over to the dirty mirror and leant against the sink, where he stared at his reflection without really seeing anything.

Six weeks. Six weeks it had been since the night when he had last spoken to Lucy…since the night Mason Industries had exploded. Six weeks of being trapped in this dingy hidden bunker, away from civilisation, away from normal life…away from everything. This whole time, Wyatt had been obsessing over what could have happened to Lucy, _his_ Lucy, and it was killing him. He didn't even know if she was alive or dead, but he had to hold out hope. He couldn't lose the woman he loved, not again.

 _Why didn't I just tell her how I feel?_

He couldn't stop picturing Lucy's face, gazing lovingly at him as he said those words they had both been longing for him to say: 'Maybe I do need to be open to possibilities.'

Breathing deeply, unable to control his anger, Wyatt then smashed one of the tiles on the wall with his fist; the tile broke off with a small clatter.

Just then, the bathroom door swung open and Jiya came bursting in, wearing a nightgown and carrying her toiletries. 'Whoa, sorry,' she said at once, mortified and immediately closing her eyes after seeing Wyatt's bare chest.

'Be done in a second,' Wyatt muttered heavily, looking away from the broken tile; he was annoyed with himself for losing control of his temper _again_.

Jiya looked at him, concerned, and took a few steps forward. 'Are you all right?' she asked in a gentle tone.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows at her. 'Maybe you could knock next time,' he said sardonically.

Jiya stared at him, disbelieving, and gave him a wry smile. 'Maybe you could follow the system we have in place and put the chair in front of the door,' she snapped coolly, and she left the bathroom, slamming the door firmly shut behind her.

Sighing, Wyatt then looked down at his hand; his fist was covered in blood from where he had just punched the wall. Wyatt was shaken. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so deeply troubled by something like this…it was so much worse than even the day when Flynn had kidnapped Lucy. It had been so long already. Anything could happen in six weeks. And it was overwhelming Wyatt just how frightened it made him, just how terrified and angry he was that Lucy was not here in this gloomy bunker with them. He had allowed himself to care about these people, after so many years of shutting himself off from everyone, and it was such a strange feeling to him. Lucy and Rufus were his family now…and even Jiya, Agent Christopher and Mason had recently joined that small, strange little group. But now the most important, integral part of that family was missing, and had been missing for way too long. It was time for him to do something about it.

When Wyatt got dressed that morning, he didn't head over to the small kitchen to grab some breakfast or an alcoholic beverage like he normally would have done. Instead, he grabbed his pistol and marched fiercely down the corridor towards the bunker exit, a new determination in his stride, his face set. But when he tried the handle, he discovered, to his absolute fury, that the stupid rusty door had been bolted shut. He tried the door again, but to no avail.

'You gotta be kidding me,' Wyatt muttered irritably, and, livid, he headed over to where he knew Rufus would be; attempting once more to fix the Lifeboat, which they had managed to park in a large high-ceilinged room within the bunker. 'Hey, Rufus.'

Rufus couldn't hear; he was lying underneath the time machine, wearing a mask, working on one of the wiring panels with a grinder that was buzzing loudly.

'Rufus!' Wyatt yelled impatiently, and when he got no response he unplugged the wire connecting the grinder to the plug socket.

The grinder fell silent at once and Rufus rolled out from under the Lifeboat, looking irritated as he pulled back his mask to glare up accusingly at Wyatt. 'What'd you do that for?' he asked, annoyed.

'Give me the grinder. And the mask,' Wyatt said hurriedly.

Rufus frowned, confused. 'Why?'

'Just-just give it to me,' Wyatt said urgently, and he grabbed the grinder and mask from Rufus's hands.

Rufus knew instantly what he was going to do. Frustrated and sympathetic, he hurried after Wyatt, who had already gone back to the bunker exit and had plugged in the grinder to try and work his way through the door.

'Wyatt. Wyatt, can we talk about this-' Rufus said loudly, but Wyatt had the mask on and the grinder was buzzing deafeningly; he raised his voice. 'That door's a foot thick! It'll take you forever to get through it!'

Losing patience, Rufus then bent down and unplugged the grinder. The moment the power went dead, Wyatt rounded on Rufus in outrage, dropping the mask.

'Look. I know you wanna find Lucy,' Rufus said heavily, 'but you getting yourself killed out there isn't gonna help anyone! Especially if you don't even know if she's still alive.'

Wyatt looked up at Rufus's words, his expression empty, his face suddenly white as a sheet, his eyes burning with rage and agony. No. He wouldn't accept that. Of course Lucy was still alive. It was insulting of Rufus to even suggest otherwise. The two men stared at each other for a moment, breathing heavily, both upset and furious…and then the with a clank the door opened up. They looked around; stood in the doorway was Agent Christopher, looking stern.

'Busted,' Rufus mumbled, looking down, embarrassed and scared.

Wyatt frowned at Agent Christopher. 'Locking the door from the outside now? What are we, prisoners?' he demanded.

'I have trust issues with you, Wyatt, obviously with good reason,' Agent Christopher pointed out defensively; Wyatt made to push past her to leave the bunker, but she moved to block his path. 'My agents are looking for her. They're using drones, satellites, cell records, every resource we have.'

'Yeah, what' the latest?' Wyatt asked sceptically. 'Let me guess, you got nothing.'

He walked past her through the doorway; Agent Christopher turned to face him exasperatedly. 'The only thing you do by leaving is give what's left of Rittenhouse another opportunity to kill you,' she protested.

'Yeah, well, I'll take my chances,' Wyatt said, uncaring. 'After everything we did, there can't be that many of them.'

'They blew up Mason Industries. We have no idea how powerful they still are,' Agent Christopher snapped. 'I'm already down one asset.'

Wyatt turned to look at her, disbelieving, and took a few steps towards her, his expression that of disgust. He couldn't believe how angry he was.

'That's what you think Lucy is? An asset?' he said quietly, his voice shaking.

'Master Sergeant Logan, you are not leaving this bunker,' Agent Christopher said firmly.

Wyatt stared at her for a moment. 'Court-martial me,' was his reply, and he backed away.

Agent Christopher turned her back on him and began to walk away down the corridor. 'I stationed two armed guards upstairs to keep the bad guys out, and keep you guys in,' she called back.

Wyatt laughed in disbelief. 'You see, Rufus? We really are prisoners in this hell hole,' he said, appalled.

'It is government-owned. It's off the grid. And it was available on extremely short notice,' Agent Christopher said loudly.

'Gee, wonder why,' Wyatt muttered.

'The only way you're leaving this bunker is in that time machine,' Agent Christopher said, still not looking at Wyatt.

Wyatt groaned and marched out from the doorway back down the corridor. 'Screw you,' he spat, and he stormed off, back to hide away in his and Rufus's room.

He lay down on his bed and let out a heavy sigh, clasping a hand to his head. He just wished he knew what had happened to Lucy, and where she was. That was all he wanted. Well no, of course he wanted more than that – he wanted her to be safe. He wanted her to be here, with him, her mere presence making this grotty army bunker from the sixties feel like an actual home.

On the immediate aftermath of the attack on Mason Industries, Wyatt's first horrifying thought had been that Lucy might have been walking into the Mason Industries building just as it had exploded. But they soon deduced that theory not to be true when Wyatt and the others had managed to escape, and paid a visit to Lucy's house after getting medical attention to their injuries. He could vividly remember the morning after the explosion, when he had been released from the doctor Agent Christopher had summoned and driven at top speed to the house Lucy had once been so fond of. He, Rufus, Jiya, Mason and Agent Christopher had all searched the house from top to bottom, but found no sign of Lucy, or her mother. The only indication that Lucy had been there was the smashed glass, the spilt wine on the kitchen floor, her belongings that had fallen out of her handbag, her cell phone with its cracked screen that had dropped onto the floor, with notifications of Wyatt's numerous missed calls flashing up.

Wyatt could still recall the way his knees had buckled, how he had fallen painfully to the kitchen floor, the broken shards of glass cutting through his jeans as he reached out for Lucy's phone and handbag, and clutched them desperately to him. He had whimpered and shouted, and had struggled against Mason's hold as the rest of them stopped Wyatt from smashing things in his anger and despair. It had been humiliating for Wyatt to let go of his emotions like that in front of everyone, and so once they had all recovered from the initial shock of discovering the unsettling scene left at Lucy's house, Wyatt had spent the next few weeks at the bunker trying to control his feelings, to hide his pain. But that had been easier said than done – ever since being relocated to the bunker, Rufus had had to cope with Wyatt's inability to sleep at night; his constant agitated twitching in bed, his groaning and muttering of Lucy's name, his occasional shaking that indicated he was repressing sobs. On one occasion, Jiya had even walked in on Wyatt crying, his face buried in his hands, as he'd looked through some of Lucy's belongings that they had managed to retrieve from her mother's house.

Determined that this was not happen again, Wyatt now struggled up from the bed and took a few deep breaths.

 _Get a grip. Pull yourself together._

Running a hand through his hair, Wyatt then walked agitatedly back into the main room; as he approached the kitchen, he overheard the rest of the team arguing. It appeared that their most recent test on the Lifeboat had failed (again) due to some problem with a time dilation equation and right lateral particle converter and God knows what else.

'Maybe you can figure out what to do with this,' Mason muttered irritably to Wyatt, tossing him a small piece of machinery from the Lifeboat as they walked past each other.

Wyatt held his hands out hopelessly. 'Somebody wanna tell me how that guy became a billionaire?' he said to Agent Christopher, once Mason had left the room. 'I mean, he can't do anything. Can't weld. He _can't_ cook. Doesn't even remember how the Lifeboat works.'

'He lost his whole life,' Agent Christopher pointed out, frowning at Wyatt for being so heartless. '22 employees, his company, his fortune. Maybe he's grieving like all of us.'

Wyatt frowned at her, confused by the insinuation. 'I'm not grieving. Because Lucy is not dead,' he said firmly. 'Rittenhouse has her.'

Agent Christopher sighed sadly. Wyatt let himself give in to his anger when he was alone, but when surrounded by everyone else, who seemed to be slowly and calmly resigning themselves to accept Lucy's 'absence', he exuded a sort of quiet desperation, and it was pitiful. It broke Agent Christopher's heart to see him in such denial, when she knew deep down that the worst had inevitably happened.

'Wyatt, look, I think you need to prepare yourself for the possibility that Lucy-'

'Lucy's father was a member of Rittenhouse,' Wyatt interrupted earnestly. 'They're not trying to kill her, he was trying to recruit her!'

Agent Christopher knew there was no point in arguing. 'I hope you're right,' she murmured.

'I am right. Lucy's alive. And as soon as I get out of this damn pit, I'm gonna find her,' Wyatt said determinedly, and, throwing the loose piece of machinery on the kitchen table, he walked away, unable to cope with the tension and pessimism and hopelessness emanating from this area of the bunker.

He was trying to put on a brave face, but it was hard – particularly when his former boss was clearly not hopeful that they were going to successfully find and return an alive Lucy. These six weeks of not knowing had taken Wyatt back to those first few days after Jessica had disappeared, and it was agony for him. He couldn't let the same thing happen to Lucy, he just couldn't. He just hoped it wasn't too late…but it was out of his hands now. All he could do was wait for the Lifeboat to be fixed so they could track the Mothership's CPU…and sitting around helplessly and waiting to find out what happened to people he held close to his heart was not a thing Wyatt coped with very well.

This agonising time apart from Lucy was only just making Wyatt realise how strong his feelings were for her. She had changed everything for him, and was now, as cliché and melodramatic as it sounded, his main reason for living. Through their brokenness, they had started to become closer and heal each other. She had brought him back to life, and that was why Wyatt was refusing to grieve. He couldn't conceive a world where Lucy was dead…where he had lost the person he loved yet again. He wouldn't believe it. Because it wasn't true. Agent Christopher, Rufus…they were all wrong. He knew they all thought he was crazy and hung up and in denial for insisting she was somehow still out there. But he knew he was right. He had to be. Lucy needed to be alive. He needed to tell her how he really felt about her. He needed to hold her close to him, and never let go. He just needed her safe.

It was later that afternoon when Wyatt heard the triumphant whoops coming from Rufus and Jiya's end by the new workstation they'd set up near the Lifeboat. Wyatt hurried over in time to hear Jiya excitedly talking to Agent Christopher and Mason as she tapped away on her computer.

'Rufus told me to double-check the time dilation equation, and when I uploaded it to the motherboard, eight flight systems came online,' she said gleefully.

'You fixed it?' Wyatt said in a hopeful tone, overcome with relief.

'Yeah,' Jiya replied, beaming away.

'Where's the Mothership?' Wyatt asked urgently.

'I'll check. September 14th, 1918, France,' Jiya told him, after looking up the CPU tracker.

Wyatt frowned. 'That's World War I. Where?'

'Uh, the nearest town is…Saint-Mihiel,' Jiya announced.

Wyatt sighed heavily as he stared at the location on the map Jiya had pulled up on her computer. 'Rufus? We gotta go,' he called over, pulling on his jacket. 'That's the Western Front. The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was the first one the American forces led. I mean, thousands died. It was…it was a bloodbath.'

'Hang on,' Jiya interrupted him, frowning as she tapped away for more details on her computer. 'That is not good.'

'What?' Wyatt snapped.

'The Mothership landed two days ago,' Jiya replied ominously, and Wyatt felt his heart sink. 'What have they been doing?'

'Rufus, right now!' Wyatt shouted sharply, and he hurried over to Rufus by the Lifeboat.

'Wyatt, your clothes!' Jiya called after him.

'We'll find them there,' Wyatt replied agitatedly, grabbing the metal stairwell and drawing it up to the Lifeboat entrance.

'I'm coming with you,' Agent Christopher said at once, breathing heavily as she followed them over to the Lifeboat

'No, you're not,' Wyatt retorted.

'The Lifeboat has three seats. You need all the help you can get,' Agent Christopher insisted.

'No one is going in that seat except for Lucy. We're bringing her home,' Wyatt said firmly, pushing Rufus up the steps.

'Wyatt, you don't even know if she's alive. Or if Rittenhouse has her or if they took her on this trip,' Agent Christopher protested, frowning as she watched Wyatt run up the metal steps and into the Lifeboat capsule. 'I'm sympathetic, I am, but there is no room for error here. We need to stop Rittenhouse, whatever the-'

But Wyatt cut over her, a furious and determined look burning in his eyes. 'Agent Christopher, we are bringing – Lucy – home,' he said fiercely, and with one swift movement he pushed the metal stairwell away and slammed his fist on the capsule door button; it slid firmly shut, and Wyatt immediately jumped into his seat.

'You good, Rufus?' Wyatt asked, buckling himself in.

'I'm just wondering if we should do another test just to make sure the engine functioning is…' But Rufus trailed off and fell silent at the look on Wyatt's face. 'Okay, yeah, I'm good. We'll go now. Let's go get our girl back.'

'Don't worry, Rufus. She's alive. We'll find her, she'll be there,' Wyatt said, nodding firmly as Rufus switched on the power controls and the engine started whirring and rumbling beneath them.

Wyatt didn't know whether he was trying to reassure himself or Rufus more, but it didn't matter, because he was convinced he was speaking the truth. He would find Lucy, alive and well. And once he did…everything would fall back into place.

* * *

– _Lucy –_

She barely recognised the reflection staring blankly back at her as she struggled to do up her thin black tie to complete her uniform. It reminded her of 1944, when she had been shaking so violently while getting ready for her mission with Ian Fleming that Wyatt had been forced to come in and comfort her. As she fiddled with the knot in her tie now, Lucy smiled as she remembered how Wyatt had stood merely inches from her to straighten her tie that day.

'Figure out what you're fighting for, and you'll be okay,' he had said softly, giving her a tender smile.

 _But that's the thing, Wyatt. I don't know what I'm fighting for anymore._

Lucy shook her head to herself. She needed to stop that. There was no point having these silent conversations in her head with a man who was no longer here. She was just talking to a ghost.

There was a clicking noise as the door to the bedroom Lucy had been confined in was then unlocked and opened. It was her mother, dressed in similar military gear as Lucy. Lucy forced a smile at her.

'You haven't touched your breakfast,' Carol noted, frowning at the breakfast tray on Lucy's bed, still laden with food and coffee.

'I don't recommend travelling on a full stomach. Trust me,' Lucy replied with a raise of her eyebrows.

That wasn't the real reason, of course. In reality, Lucy couldn't bring herself to eat anything because she felt like she might throw up at the mere sight of the food on her bed; nerves often made her feel nauseous. Carol luckily didn't seem too suspicious.

'You've come so far these past few weeks, Lucy,' Carol said gently, standing beside her daughter, and Lucy smiled as she finished doing up the buttons of her blazer. 'I'm proud of you. I don't have to tell you how important this trip is, for both of us.'

'I know, Mom,' Lucy reassured her at once, straightening her blazer. 'I'm ready.'

Carol considered her and smiled. 'Yes…I believe you are. They're waiting for us,' she said, and Lucy nodded as Carol walked back towards the door.

The moment she had left the room, Lucy's smile faded and she turned slowly back to the mirror. She exhaled deeply. She knew what she had to do. She just didn't know if she was brave enough to do it.

Her eyes flickered down to the old newspaper that had been lying on the dressing table for the past six weeks, its headline glaring up at her every day to remind her of what kind of organisation she had gotten herself into, to encourage her that her plan was the right thing to do:

 **EXPLOSION AT MASON INDUSTRIES, 22 PRESUMED DEAD**

 **CONNOR MASON DENIES WRONGDOING**

She had kept the newspaper to focus on the word 'presumed'; after all, that was better than 'confirmed', right? After the initial pain and despair, it had once given her a glimmer of hope. But that had been well over a month ago now, and she had been through a lot since then. Too much. Now the headline just made her feel numb and empty inside. She had been a robot for the past month, just a cold, heartless shell of a being, complying with her mother's orders and training, and determinedly not feeling anything. If she let herself _feel_ , if she let herself fully digest what had happened to Wyatt and Rufus…no. She couldn't do that. She needed to stay focussed and keep her head in the game and emotionless. It was the only way this would work.

When they stepped out of the Mothership into 1918, France, Lucy was horrified by the sight of the horrific, bloody battlefield before them. But Carol and Emma…they seemed almost delighted, as if they were children at Disneyland…and Lucy had never felt more alone. The three of them found shelter in a farmhouse to wait for someone by the name of Nicholas Keynes, who soon arrived in the arms of a fellow soldier; he was suffering from a severe gunshot wound. It soon became apparently to Lucy that the reason they were here was to use Emma's nursing skills to save this Keynes' life, and it unnerved Lucy; what did Rittenhouse need with him?

As Carol had kept drilling into Lucy over the past few days, this trip was a chance for Lucy to prove loyalty to Rittenhouse…and Lucy was given a true test on this when Emma handed her a gun to kill the interfering soldier who had brought Keynes to the house.

'I thought Lucy should take care of this,' Emma said ominously, holding out the rifle that she had just used to shoot the innocent man in the leg with.

'Emma,' Carol said warningly, but Emma wasn't listening.

'Who are you people?' the injured soldier asked, struggling to move from the floor.

'We have to protect the mission. Either you're with us or you're not,' Emma said to Lucy, gesturing for her to take the rifle.

Lucy knew she would always be haunted by what had next occurred. She could still hear his panting whispers, pleading with her to spare his life.

'No, no, please. Please, you don't have to do this. No. Please. Please…'

'I'm so sorry,' Lucy had whispered tearfully, her lips trembling, before pulling the trigger, the force of the rifle nearly knocking her backwards as she shot him squarely in the chest, killing him immediately.

She had blacked out for a moment after that, barely registering Emma's self-satisfied smirk as she turned away to tend to Keynes, or her mother's concerned gaze, and instead focussed on the memory of Wyatt, on wondering what he would have done in her position…or how he would have reacted if he'd seen the horrific act she'd just committed. She swallowed as she stared at the walls of the farmhouse, seeing nothing. At least now her self-loathing and despair would make it easier to do what must be done, when she got the opportunity later on. There was no Wyatt or Rufus here to put their arms around her or speak soothing words of comfort. Because they were dead. No more Rufus, with his bumbling awkward charm and witty remarks. No more Wyatt, and his tender gaze and heartfelt smile and caring words and flirty comments. No more 'possibilities'. She was the only one left now.

Lucy felt her nostrils flare as she recalled that hideous morning, the day after she'd last seen Wyatt and she'd gone back home where her mother had told her everything. She could remember vividly how her mother had forcefully taken her to some unknown location, a hidden old grand house acting as Rittenhouse headquarters, as if it were only yesterday…

* * *

'Mom, I…I will listen to what you have to say. I will comply if I have to. But just…please, you've gotta let me call Wyatt, or Rufus, or…just _anyone_ , back at Mason Industries,' Lucy was saying earnestly, once Carol had finished their tour of the building in an old study. 'They were waiting for me last night, we were gonna take the Lifeboat out to get Amy back. They'll be wondering where the hell I am, I need to tell them I'm all right. I mean, God knows it's a lie but I have to say _something_ to them.'

There was an uncomfortable pause as Carol gazed pitifully at her distressed daughter.

'I won't give you away if that's what you're worried about,' Lucy said exasperatedly, still hardly able to believe that her mother was involved in all of this. 'I'll say I've…gone away or something.'

'Lucy, I…there's something I need to tell you,' Carol murmured, frowning as she looked around the study.

Lucy scoffed. 'What, like you haven't already told me enough?!' she said sardonically, raising her voice. 'Mom, you have…been lying to me and holding all this back for my entire life. I can never trust you or believe anything you say again!'

'I will explain our mission with Rittenhouse, I will explain everything,' Carol promised, her tone reassuring. 'We've got weeks ahead of us to prepare for our trip.'

'What trip?' Lucy demanded, her eyes widening.

Carol smiled. 'Like I said, all in good time.'

'Then if we have time, give me a damn phone so I can call my friends,' Lucy snapped. 'Or text them, at least. They'll be worried, I have to-'

'Lucy, you need to sit down,' Carol interrupted, firmly but calmly.

Lucy was outraged. 'Why? _What_ is your problem? Actually, no, let's not even open that door,' she said wearily, and she collapsed onto one of the sofas. 'I have cooperated, I have let you drag me away from my home and from everything I believe in to this…evil lair of yours. Give me something back, Mom, let me at least let my friends know that I'm alive. In case you didn't know, your little society has been putting us in a few life-and-death situations over the past few months, so I wouldn't be surprised if they're freaking out a little bit right now-'

'Lucy, Mason Industries was destroyed last night.'

There was a short silence. Lucy frowned up at her mother, confused.

'What are you talking about?' she asked.

Carol tilted her head at her sympathetically. 'Why else do you think I chose last night to tell you the truth, about me? About your family ties to Rittenhouse? Our plan for the future? I had to keep you from going back to that place.'

'Hold on, what do you mean? I don't understand.'

Carol sighed. 'I thought it better that you found out from me first, before you read the papers,' she said quietly, and she pulled open a drawer from a nearby cabinet and withdrew a newspaper from it…today's newspaper.

'Please, continue to be vague, Mother, I really appreciate it,' Lucy muttered sarcastically.

'Just know that it wasn't my call. I had nothing to do with this,' Carol said urgently; it was crucial she understand this. 'I didn't even know they were planning to do it until just before you got home last night.'

Feeling extremely wary, Lucy stood up and took the newspaper from her. She read the headline. She read it again.

'No,' she whispered.

 _Explosion…Mason Industries…presumed dead…explosion…Mason Industries…presumed dead…Dead…Dead…_

'Lucy, I'm so sorry,' Carol said, putting a hand on her shoulder, but Lucy shrugged it off.

'N-no, this is…this is a hoax, right?' Lucy said at once. 'You and your psycho friends from the Legion of Tyranny or whatever have made this up, you're trying to brainwash me into joining your cause-'

'You can check the local News channels, online…it's all over social media, Lucy. The building blew up,' Carol said heavily. 'There was a bomb. There was no sign of the Lifeboat or…any of the projects or equipment in the wreckage.'

'And the people there? The staff? _My friends_?' Lucy asked slowly, watching her mother carefully.

Carol swallowed. 'The…the explosive was very powerful, Lucy,' she replied hesitantly, 'no bodies have been able to be identified. There aren't many…remains to-'

'Stop,' Lucy interrupted, closing her eyes. 'Just. Stop.'

There was another moment of silence. Lucy couldn't believe it. Even though it was printed in black and white, she just couldn't believe it. It couldn't be true, could it? The Lifeboat, Mason Industries, Wyatt and Rufus…they had been her whole life now. And they'd all just blown up? No. No, it couldn't be.

'I'm so sorry, my darling-'

'Get your hands off me,' Lucy snapped, leaping away from Carol as she tried once more to put her arms consolingly around her daughter, and Lucy felt her voice shake as the tears welled up in her eyes. 'They weren't even supposed to still be there. The project had been shut down, Wyatt and Rufus should have left, they were just staying out of a favour for me, to help me get Amy back…they were there? Do you know if they were actually still there?'

'I…'

Carol didn't know the answer, but Lucy did. She'd begun to get Wyatt's texts asking where she was just before Carol had dragged her out of the house to meet Emma. She knew Wyatt and Rufus must have been there, inside Mason Industries, waiting for Lucy to turn up. It was her fault. It was all her fault.

'No. This didn't happen. They…no,' Lucy said firmly. 'Can you…I need to get a hold of Agent Christopher. Or Jiya. Or even Connor Mason, there must be a way I can get in touch-'

'Lucy, they're gone,' Carol said apologetically.

'No. They're not, they can't be,' Lucy protested. 'Out of everything we've been through, everything we've faced, this is not…this can't be…they can't have just…Wyatt would have noticed the bomb, he's disposed one before, he…'

Carol frowned curiously at the change in Lucy's tone, at the slight pinkness in her cheeks, the way her face had almost lit up. 'Wyatt's the man who came to our house a few weeks ago? In the middle of the night?' she asked.

'Y-yes.'

'So he's the mystery man. The one you were cheating on Noah with,' Carol said bluntly.

Lucy scowled at her. 'I wasn't cheating. And me and Noah are over. Just like me and you are,' she spat.

'I told you, Lucy, I had nothing to do with this decision,' Carol said, her tone irritatingly patient, 'there are more powerful people in charge of-'

'But you are part of it, Mother, you are part of a _sick_ organisation that chose to blow up and kill innocent people?' Lucy shouted, and she shook her head disbelievingly, turning away in disgust. 'N-no, this can't be happening, it can't…they can't…'

'I know you were close to your co-workers there, I'm-'

'They're not my co-workers, Mom, they're my friends!' Lucy cut over her. 'Wyatt and Rufus, they're my _family_ now, and W-Wyatt, I…'

'Did you love him?' Carol asked gently, and Lucy felt a lump rise in her throat as she gazed tearfully up at her mother who she no longer recognised.

'Don't do that. Don't talk like he's not here anymore,' Lucy said in a small voice. 'He's alive. They're both alive, they have to be, they all-'

'I'm sorry, Lucy. But you _will_ get through this,' Carol said earnestly. 'I'll help you through your grief, and you can channel your pain to help us and focus on our mission-'

Lucy glared up at her, resentment in every feature of her face. 'Do you even hear yourself when you talk?' she muttered, and Carol fell silent, almost ashamed, as Lucy stared back down at the newspaper. 'No. N-no. They can't be dead, they…wait, you're seriously expecting me to join you now, to get involved and work willingly with the people who have murdered-?'

'You've already joined, Lucy,' Carol corrected her fondly, shaking her head. 'You were a member from the moment you were born.'

'Go to hell.'

At this, Carol pursed her lips sternly. 'You should know…if you speak that way to me in future, in front of our fellow members…there will be consequences.'

'Then bring it on. Because there is no way I am _ever_ going to be a part of this messed-up operation you are running,' Lucy said fiercely, and with that she stormed out, slamming the study door behind her as she charged across the corridor towards the room Carol had proclaimed Lucy's new bedroom.

Throwing the newspaper down on the bed, Lucy then immediately grabbed the remote control and switched on the TV. She felt her bottom lip tremble uncontrollably as she switched to the News channel and saw the reporter stood outside the crumbling remains of what was clearly Mason Industries. She recognised the car park, the one she and Wyatt had walked through together so many times…She could hear his voice now…

' _Maybe we do need to stop trying to fix the past, and start looking at the present. Maybe I do need to be open to possibilities…I just know I'm not really ready to say goodbye yet.'_

Lucy gulped as she realised that she would never hear that voice again, or gaze into those eyes, or have a chance to kiss those lips or say goodbye. He should have left for Pendleton, but instead he'd stayed there for her. Along with Rufus. And now she was staring at the wreckage of their workplace, where Wyatt, Rufus, Jiya, Agent Christopher, Mason, everyone…were all dead.

'No,' Lucy whimpered, and as the tears began to fall she crumbled to the floor. 'N-no…no. NO!'

It took a great deal of screams and loud, hysterical sobs until Carol decided she could ignore her daughter's cries of distress no longer. She burst through into Lucy's new room to find her collapsed in a ball, next to the now-broken TV, the screen of which was cracked, along with many other smashed bits of furniture and various items that Lucy had thrown to the floor in her anguish.

'He can't be gone, Wyatt can't be dead!' Lucy sobbed, tears gushing down her face as she hugged her knees to herself. 'And Rufus, he…they…no, they can't be dead! Please, Mom, please, they can't be, please fix it, please-'

'I'm so sorry, Lucy, but there's nothing we can do for them now. They're gone. It's over,' Carol said sympathetically, giving Lucy a firm squeeze as she sat on the floor beside her. 'But you will get through this. And you'll be able to move on to see our side of things eventually. Trust me.'

And as Carol cradled Lucy while she cried, Lucy vowed to herself that she would never ever trust her mother ever again. Because, whether or not she made the decision, Carol was still part of the organisation that killed her best friends…that killed the man she loved. And nothing Carol could do or say would ever make Lucy forgive her or join her side. Ever.

* * *

'So have I proven myself? Or is Emma gonna make me shoot innocent people on every trip?' Lucy asked bitterly, as she and her mother strolled across the busy camp towards the field hospital.

They needed a portable x-ray machine to help Emma locate and retrieve the shrapnel from Keynes back at the farmhouse, and they had figured that the best way to get one was from none other than Marie Curie, who happened to be working here with her new machine alongside her daughter, Irène, to help the wounded.

'Emma still believes you're working for the other side,' Carol explained, an almost apologetic tone to her voice.

'There is no other side anymore, right, Mother? You got rid of all that,' Lucy said, her tone empty as she stared straight ahead, her mind focussed on what needed to be done.

Lucy was still numb from what she had just done with Emma's rifle, but knew she couldn't be distracted from the task ahead, and so it came as a pleasant relief when they quickly found Irène and Marie Curie, who personally volunteered to come and use the x-ray machine on Carol and Lucy's patient back at the farmhouse.

'Lucy, are you coming?' Carol asked her daughter, as the Curies left to gather their equipment.

Frozen, Lucy then began to cough rather violently. 'I need water,' she muttered, and she turned and began to walk away towards the first aid tents.

'Lucy, come back here,' Carol protested.

'Mom,' Lucy said in an exasperated tone, and she held out her hands innocently, 'you're gonna have to learn to trust me at some point.'

And with that she flashed her mother a brief smile and then hurried off, Carol watching her go with a concerned frown on her face. Taking a hasty detour through one of the first aid tents, full of wounded, coughing soldiers, Lucy then dashed in-between the trees and marching troops until she finally came across what she had been looking for. The tent was empty when she went inside, and, breathing deeply, she looked around at the weapons and explosives all stored in various crates and boxes. Nervously, she slowly walked up to one of the crates labelled: 'GENADE', and picked one up, terrified – she recognised them from when Wyatt had brought some to the Alamo last year – before stuffing a few quickly into her brown satchel.

Lucy turned and made to leave when she felt a firm hand grasp her shoulder; with a gasp, she spun around with her arm held upright, preparing to use the knifehand strike manoeuvre that she had mastered in her self-defence classes with Wyatt, but the man stopped her easily, his arm clashing against hers, and Lucy's eyes fell upon the face of her attacker, who had frozen still. Lucy's lips parted and she took a few steps backwards, floundering.

It was Wyatt.


	24. You Haven't Lost Me

**This chapters covers the last half of 2x01 :)**

* * *

Lucy couldn't believe her eyes. He was there, really _there_ , dressed in a smart soldiers' uniform, his hair scruffy, his eyes gazing into hers, his lips parted as he exhaled deeply, speechless. He looked stunned. Lucy's lips trembled as she stared up at him, hardly daring to believe what she was seeing. She had spent the last six weeks silently mourning him, and now he was here. They were so preoccupied drinking in the sight of each other that they didn't think to bother moving their arms. A nervous smile then broke out on Lucy's face as she breathed deeply, and she began to shake her head.

'You're alive?!' she said, disbelieving.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows. ' _You're_ alive,' he said with a soft laugh.

He'd never really doubted it – he'd refused to believe anything different – but still, it was an overwhelming relief to see his gut instinct confirmed…to see the woman he'd fallen for stood right in front of him, her bare wrist against his as they stayed stood, frozen, their arms still held up against each other's in their knifehand strike poses.

Half-laughing, half-crying, Lucy then leapt up and flung her arms around his neck, and Wyatt clutched her to him tightly and scrunched his eyes shut as he buried his face in her shoulder, his cheeks already aching from just how much he was smiling. Lucy couldn't remember the last time she had been this deliriously happy, and it was in that moment when she realised that she couldn't go ahead with her plan against Rittenhouse today, not now. She had something to fight for, something to live for – something in the form of the man whose arms were wrapped fiercely around her right now – and she couldn't give it up. Wyatt was too important. She had to keep living.

Over Wyatt's shoulder, she then saw Rufus emerge into the tent, and both their eyes widened in delight. 'You're alive too!' she cried, and she threw an arm around him and brought Rufus fiercely into the group hug.

'Yeah!' Rufus said, as all three of them laughed in relief, breathing deeply.

They then withdrew their arms from each other, and Wyatt found himself unable to tear his eyes off Lucy. She was here. She was okay. It was all he had ever wanted for the past six weeks, and now finally, they'd got her back. But then Lucy's expression turned serious as the laughter died down.

'You have to go,' she said urgently.

Wyatt's smile faded instantly. 'What?' he asked, perplexed.

No. They were not separating from her again, no way. He couldn't do it.

'My mother is leaving soon,' Lucy replied.

Rufus frowned. 'Your mother?' he said, confused.

'She's one of them!' Lucy explained in a frightened whisper, and both Wyatt's and Rufus's eyebrows shot up their foreheads.

'Uh, so your mother's Rittenhouse?' Wyatt asked, looking bewildered; would Lucy ever get a break?

'Don't have time to explain right now. I have to get back to them,' Lucy said apologetically, and with that she turned to leave the tent.

Alarmed, Wyatt reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her, spinning her back round to face him. 'Wait! Get back to what?'

'They're trying to save a soldier, which means I have to kill him, I guess,' Lucy replied in a harassed tone, trying not to sound too bitter or distressed at this thought…or at the memory of the innocent soldier she had killed earlier.

'With that?' Rufus asked sceptically, glancing at one of the grenades peeping out of her satchel.

'No, this is for the Mothership,' Lucy said, holding out the grenade, and her eyes lit up in realisation as she looked at them both. 'Which you guys can take care of now! Okay, it's about three miles from here, near an abandoned farmhouse up the road, okay?'

'Wait, hold on, let me get this straight,' Rufus said, as Wyatt frowned from Lucy to the grenade she had passed him. 'You were gonna kill a soldier _and_ blow up the Mothership?'

Lucy gazed at them both and shook her head helplessly. 'I thought you were dead,' she said simply.

Wyatt stared at her. 'How were you gonna get home?' he asked, dreading the answer, and his voice shook on the last word.

Lucy hesitated, and she swallowed. 'I wasn't,' she replied in a low voice.

She exhaled a rather shaky breath as she looked down at the floor, ashamed and almost embarrassed. She didn't want them to view her as suicidal. Because she wasn't. Well, not anymore, at least. Wyatt's face had fallen, and he was watching her carefully, unsure of this new Lucy who seemed to have no problem with killing and destruction anymore. What had happened to her?

'So are you gonna take care of the Mothership or not?' Lucy asked them both urgently, and then she heard her mother outside calling her name; panicked, she began to back away to leave the tent. 'Okay, it's about three miles from here, southeast, near an abandoned farmhouse-'

'Okay, wait, L-Lucy,' Wyatt said in a tremoring voice, diving forwards and he reached out to hold her hand, panicking – he'd just found her, he didn't want to part from her again, not after everything.

At his touch, Lucy turned and met his gaze. 'I'll see you there,' she promised, and, squeezing his hand, she then let go and hurried out of the tent.

Exchanging a harassed look with Rufus, Wyatt then lifted back the tent flap entrance and peered outside to see Lucy walking over to a woman who could only be her mother, Carol Preston, similarly dressed to her daughter in military gear, along with a nurse.

'Lucy! You all right?' Carol asked, holding out an arm to Lucy.

'Much better,' Lucy replied, breathing deeply.

'Good, we have to go,' Carol said, beckoning her forward, and as Lucy followed her mother and the nurse away, she glanced uneasily back at the tent, where her eyes met Wyatt's.

She took in his worried gaze, full of despair and longing, and felt her heart skip a beat, before turning back to focus on playing along with Carol, leaving Wyatt staring after her as she walked away out of sight. He was shaken. Yes, Lucy was alive, but she wasn't exactly in safe hands. And there was something about her – she seemed to have lost weight, and her face had looked pale, almost gaunt. It was troubling him deeply to think of what she must have been through over the past six weeks…and what she had been planning to do. She had been going to blow up the Mothership…either trapping herself here, or killing herself along with it. Thank God they had made it here in time to stop her, to make her see sense. Wyatt couldn't even bear to imagine what would have happened if they'd been too late in fixing the Lifeboat.

Nostrils flaring, Wyatt lifted the flap back down and slowly straightened up inside the tent, staring into space and seeing nothing, dazed. _She's alive. She's really alive_. He was overwhelmed by the explosive feelings that were flooding through him right now, just from the mere sight of her, the feel of her arms around his, her laughter, her pained eyes, her squeeze of his hand… -

It took a moment for Wyatt to then realise that Rufus had spoken to him.

He looked up distractedly. 'What?' Wyatt muttered.

And then he heard Rufus's words: 'I'm guessing you're happy she's still alive, huh?'

'Yeah, of course. We need our historian,' he replied casually, walking past Rufus to leave through the other side of the tent.

Rufus frowned. 'Yeah, sure. Our historian,' he said sardonically, raising his eyebrows, and he followed Wyatt outside.

As darkness slowly began to fell around them, Lucy headed back to the farmhouse and used the Curies' x-ray machine to identify the shrapnel in Nicholas Keynes' body…however the images were blurred, and Emma clearly suspected Lucy for tampering with it. While Lucy and Irène tried to fix the x-ray machine to see what was interfering with the images, Lucy couldn't help her mind drifting back to Wyatt, wondering where he and Rufus were now, how far away they were, what they were doing…what they were thinking.

Lucy had realised in these worst six weeks of her life that her life without Wyatt was…well, it was empty. With him, Rufus, Jiya, Agent Christopher and Mason gone…there had been no reason left for her to keep going. Lucy thought she had been alone, that she hadn't had anything to live for. And that was why she had been willing to sacrifice her own life to stop Rittenhouse. But now? Now Wyatt and Rufus were here, they had come to rescue her, and now she had a home to go back to. And just seeing Wyatt back there in the tent…she knew something had fundamentally changed between them, not just for her, but for Wyatt as well. They had both believed the other to be dead, they had both thought they had been too late to explore the possibility of being together…but now they knew that was no longer the case. And they were not going to make the same mistake again. They couldn't afford to wait this time. They couldn't let go of what chance they had together.

And it was this thought that not only encouraged Lucy to keep going along with her converted-Rittenhouse-member pretence around her mother and Emma, but also put a spring in Wyatt's step back at the camp near the field hospital, as he and Rufus strode through the troops and tents to find a spare truck they could 'borrow'.

'Unbelievable,' Rufus said bitterly, as they trudged on past a few wounded soldiers who were limping over to the first aid tent.

'What?'

'Remember when we thought we were done with all of this?' Rufus said.

Wyatt chuckled. 'Well, we got Lucy back. That's what's important,' Wyatt said bracingly, and Rufus raised his eyebrows; Wyatt had cheered up to no end, that was for sure, and it was strange to see him speaking in such a bright tone, despite the fact that they were nowhere near out of the woods yet.

'So the three of us die here now,' Rufus said sardonically, and Wyatt cast him a weary look as they walked on. 'These boots are giving me blisters. I need to invent sneakers.'

'Rufus, you gotta get it together,' Wyatt snapped, irritated by his companion's gloomy attitude.

'So what, I'm the bad guy 'cause I'm not thrilled to still be chasing these jackasses through time?' Rufus said sharply.

'I'm just saying, all things considered, I think we have it pretty good,' Wyatt pointed out, in a frustratingly light and breezy tone, and Rufus rolled his eyes at Wyatt's newfound optimism.

Rufus had certainly noticed a change in Wyatt since they'd seen Lucy. His whole body had relaxed, he was making witty remarks again, he was strolling – no, bouncing – around casually and confidently. He could finally breathe again, knowing that Lucy was alive.

However, Wyatt's good mood was somewhat dampened by the soldiers who subsequently caught them trying to steal a nearby truck – they were escorted to meet the nearby captain for interrogation…only the captain ended up pulling a gun on them. Wyatt managed to stop him just in time, and after a long and brutal fight, the soldiers and captain who had captured and attempted to kill them were no longer a problem. It was only when they searched the captain's pockets afterwards that Wyatt and Rufus realised this was bigger than just some regiment that had gone corrupt; the captain had been carrying a modern cell phone.

Rufus wanted to investigate this alarming discovery in more detail, but Wyatt was concerned that they had been away from Lucy for too long already, and so they pocketed the phone and managed to take one of the trucks, where they began to drive hurriedly up towards the farmhouse Lucy had mentioned, and carried on with their earlier heated discussion.

'Look, don't get me wrong, I'm happy to have the team back,' Rufus was saying agitatedly as he drove along up the dusty road. 'But I still have a mother and a brother who think I'm dead…a girlfriend who's sick and nobody knows why.'

He glanced over at Wyatt sat beside him in the passenger seat. He was looking back at him with a solemn expression on his face.

'Look, you spent the last six weeks worried about the woman you love,' Rufus said, frowning. 'I think you'd understand.'

Wyatt paused for a second before registering what he had just said. 'What?!'

Rufus stared at him. 'Lucy!' he clarified impatiently.

 _Oh, shit._

'No-' Wyatt protested with a groan.

'You idiot!' Rufus snapped, beyond frustrated. 'You're in love with Lucy, just admit it!'

As a tense silence fell, leaving nothing but the loud engine of the truck rumbling beneath them, Rufus looked around at him again but Wyatt's eyes were on his lap, looking disgruntled. Rufus was exasperated; he had seen just how upset Wyatt had been the past six weeks, and he had seen the look in his and Lucy's eyes as they'd gazed in wonder at each other upon reuniting in that tent. And he had seen them slowly but surely develop strong feelings for each other over the past few months during their missions. What would it take for them to come to terms with that?

As far as Wyatt was concerned, he knew deep down that what Rufus had said was true. He knew he was in love with Lucy. He just wasn't ready to explicitly say it aloud yet.

Rufus sighed wearily. 'Fine, don't admit it, I don't care. Can you just admit that sometimes saving the world _sucks_?' he said furiously. 'Can you give me that? Please?'

As the trunk clanked and jolted, Wyatt raised his eyebrows. 'I'll admit the road sucks.'

Meanwhile, as Wyatt and Rufus drove on through the rough terrain and debated what a captain in 1918 would possibly be doing with a modern-day cell phone, Lucy was leaving the farmhouse with Carol, Emma, and a stable but unconscious Nicholas Keynes. Carol had just caught Lucy attempting to smother Keynes with a pillow and stopped her just in time, revealing that their plan was to bring Keynes back with them to 2018. As they headed over to the Mothership, Lucy was horrified to see that Marie and Irène Curie had discovered the Mothership, and believed that it was the reason for the interference with the x-ray machine. Claiming they had seen too much, Emma automatically held her gun out to shoot the innocent Curies, but, Lucy, knowing how vital they were to history, tried imploring Carol to order Emma to put the gun down…but trying to get through to her mother was much harder than Lucy had anticipated.

'NO!' Lucy shrieked, rushing over to the Curies and standing in front of them protectively, her arms outstretched, as Emma raised her gun once again. 'No!'

Emma smiled wryly at her. 'Don't tempt me, princess. I'm more than happy to take you out too,' she murmured warningly.

'Emma,' Carol said in a low voice. 'You've worked too hard. Don't throw it all away, just put the gun down now.'

'I was told if she disrupted the mission, you wouldn't be impartial enough to make the decision,' Emma said coolly.

'How did I disrupt the mission?' Lucy demanded, breathing heavily and wondering where on earth Wyatt was. 'I killed your soldier's friend when he tried to get in the way, I brought you a damn portable X-ray machine. I saved that guy's life!'

'Did you? Then what was this for?' Emma asked, and to Lucy's horror, Emma reached into her pocket and pulled out one of the grenades Lucy had stolen. 'Hmm? I found it in her bag. She picked it up at the field hospital. I think she was gonna bring it onboard the Mothership to blow it up, and all of us with it.'

Carol gazed over at Lucy, hurt, but Lucy was too stunned to come up with an excuse for why she had the grenade on her. It was too late. The damage had been done.

Emma had a satisfied look in her eyes as she directed her gun at Lucy. 'Someone who's willing to die fighting against us will never fight for us. You can't protect her anymore,' she said simply.

Trying to control her breathing, Lucy looked over at her mother, but when she realised Carol wasn't going to speak up as Emma got ready to shoot, she closed her eyes. This was it. This was how she was going to die. The end of the road.

And then she heard Wyatt's familiar voice.

'I can.'

Heart soaring, Lucy immediately took advantage of Emma and Carol's distraction, and urged the Marie and Irène Curie away.

'Go, go, go!' she said at once, pushing them, and they didn't need telling twice; they ran out of sight as quickly as they could.

Lucy barely had time to smile in relief at the sight of Wyatt and Rufus stood there before Emma approached and grabbed her, pointing her gun directly at Lucy's head. But Lucy wasn't half as scared now as she had been before. Her family was here now. They would get her out of this.

'Went through a lot of trouble to keep this zombie alive,' Wyatt said, pointing his gun at Keynes' unconscious figure laying on the stretcher. 'It'd be a shame if I put a bullet in his brain right now.'

'I was really hoping you were dead,' Emma said, her fist tightening around Lucy.

Wyatt frowned. 'Sorry to disappoint. We can either shoot it out, or we can both walk away with the person we came here for,' he said firmly, and Lucy's lips twitched. 'Drop the gun.'

'Drop yours first,' Emma retorted.

'I'm gonna be real clear,' Wyatt said, full of rage. 'You let Lucy go or he dies right now.'

Carol turned desperately to Emma. After a hesitation, Emma then released her hold of Lucy and pushed her roughly forward; Lucy hurried over to Wyatt and Rufus's side.

'You knew they were alive and you kept it from me,' Carol said, full of disappointment, as she turned to gaze sadly at her daughter.

'Just…come with us,' Lucy whispered.

Carol frowned. 'What?' she said incredulously.

'Come with us, Mom. I would forgive you for every horrible thing that you did for them if you just…just _be_ with us,' Lucy said desperately, and Wyatt's heart broke for her. 'Be on the right side of history!'

Carol took a few steps forwards. 'Lucy,' she said in an apologetic voice. 'This is so much bigger than you or me.'

Lucy stared at Carol in disbelief. 'Mom. Mom!' she protested helplessly, but Carol turned and walked away to stand behind Emma, beside the Mothership…her side chosen. 'Mom!'

'Follow us, fight us. You can have your damn Lifeboat,' Emma said to them, her gun still pointed at them. 'You're never gonna get what you really want.'

'What's that?' Lucy asked sceptically, feeling she might cry from what her mother had just done.

'I took a few trips of my own in the Mothership.'

'What trips?'

Emma smiled. 'Trips to make certain that no matter what you do, no matter where you go…your precious sister, the one who disappeared from history? She's never coming back.'

'No, NO!' Lucy yelled, charging forward, but Rufus ran to her and held her back.

'I just do what your mom tells me to,' Emma said innocently.

'That's enough,' Carol protested in a quiet, low voice.

'Go – take her, Rufus,' Wyatt said firmly, his gun still held up as he glared at Emma in disgust. 'Go, get out of here.'

'Safe travels,' Emma called, as they hurried away.

A strange feeling met the three of them as they ran away and heard the Mothership vanish. Of course they were relieved, and, despite what had just transpired, Wyatt couldn't help smiling fondly at Lucy, pleased to see that they had finally got her out of harm's way, that she was back with them for good. But, even though Lucy managed a small smile back, he could see the pain in her eyes. Her mother had betrayed her. And her mother's accomplice had erased any chance of getting Amy back. How could Lucy ever recover from that?

'C'mon, we should head back to the Lifeboat. Let's get out of here,' Rufus said heavily. 'The others will be so happy to see you, Lucy.'

'More people survived the explosion?' Lucy asked in pleasant surprise, her expression blank.

'Jiya, Agent Christopher, Connor Mason. They're all waiting for you,' Rufus said, smiling warmly at her. 'C'mon, let's go.'

He led the way, but Wyatt held back a minute to see that Lucy was all right. He nearly told her not to dwell on her psycho-bitch mother, but then figured that might not be the best way to comfort her. After all, he had no idea what she had gone through these past six weeks.

'I can't even…begin to tell you how happy I am to see you,' Lucy murmured eventually, a weak smile on her face.

Wyatt smiled back. 'Me neither. Look, Lucy, about your mom, and Amy, I…' But he trailed off, lost for words at the look on her face, and held out his arm. 'C'mere.'

He drew her into his chest, wrapped his arm around her, and pressed his lips to the top of her head. Lucy exhaled deeply as she leaned her head against him, relishing the feel of his strong hold, his warm skin…

'Um, guys? You coming?'

Wyatt rolled his eyes and released his hold of Lucy as they looked up at Rufus, who had re-emerged in front of them, an impatient look in his eyes.

The three made it back to the Lifeboat after about half an hour, during which time Wyatt and Rufus informed Lucy of what had happened in the immediate aftermath of the explosion at Mason Industries. They told her all about the relocation to the bunker and what it was like to now live like a big happy family with their co-workers…but they didn't ask about what had happened to Lucy. They both knew she wasn't ready to talk about it just yet.

As Wyatt buckled Lucy into her seat in the Lifeboat, it felt just like old times – Lucy could even pretend for a moment that they were just returning from a normal mission, and nothing out-of-the-ordinary had happened. But when the capsule door opened once they had returned to 2018, Lucy realised that those old times were well and truly gone – instead of the Mason Industries operations lab, the sight that greeted her was a dark, dingy kitchen and lounge area, with a rather mediocre work station set up. At least Jiya, Agent Christopher and Connor Mason were there to greet her, as usual. Wyatt helped her out of the Lifeboat, and after telling the others what had happened, Jiya and Wyatt quickly gave Lucy a tour of the bunker – her new place of residence for the time being. They then left Lucy to get changed into some old clothes…although Wyatt was quick to come back and check on her. He knew he wouldn't be able to leave her alone for long periods of time after what had happened. He was still almost giddy with happiness that she was actually here.

Wyatt found Lucy stood in her and Jiya's room, dressing in a baggy jumper and joggers, looking around at Jiya's lived-in bed, the messy heap of clothes, the books, the footwear…

Wyatt leaned against the doorframe. 'It's not exactly what you were expecting to come home to, huh?' he said, attempting a smile.

'I wasn't expecting to come home at all,' Lucy replied shortly, her tone almost dismissive as she kept her back to him.

Wyatt's smile faded, wondering why she hadn't faced him when she had spoken. She turned around to her bed.

'You okay?' he asked gently, frowning, as she walked over to her bed.

He walked into the room to stand opposite her and watched her carefully as she sank heavily onto the bed. She looked tired – ill, almost – and her eyes were glazed over, her expression empty of all emotion. It scared him.

'I killed someone this morning,' she said in a small, monotone voice, staring ahead at a cabinet in the corner of the room; Wyatt closed his eyes, then sat down on the bed opposite her to listen. 'Not a bad guy. Just an innocent person trying to help his friend. He just…got in the way.'

'Lucy, you-you did what you had to do,' Wyatt began defensively, but Lucy interrupted him.

'No. I chose to do it. To prove I was loyal.'

'To Rittenhouse?' Wyatt asked, and she gave a small nod, still unable to look him in the eye – she felt too ashamed to meet his gaze. 'Why?'

'Because I thought you were dead. Because I thought the Lifeboat was gone. Because…I thought I was the only one standing,' Lucy replied helplessly, shaking her head at herself, and then for the first time since he'd entered the room, she looked up at him. 'I would've done anything, Wyatt. I would've stayed in 1918…forever. I would've blown up the Mothership with my mother and me in it…to stop all this, forever.'

Wyatt felt a lump rise in his throat. He felt sick.

'And then you showed up. Alive,' Lucy murmured, gazing at him, and she was stunned to see that his eyes were wet with tears, and that his face had fallen into an expression of such despair and pity…he looked like he was doing everything he could to stop himself from crying. 'I just keep wondering…if I could've stopped them if you hadn't have come.'

'Emma would've killed you,' Wyatt pointed out, his fingers twitching angrily at the very thought.

Lucy hesitated thoughtfully. 'My mother wouldn't have let her do that,' she said, forcing a weary smile.

'You sure about that?' Wyatt asked quietly, his voice breaking.

Lucy swallowed and began to shake her head. 'No,' she whispered in a low sob, and as Wyatt closed his eyes and looked down, she shrugged hopelessly. 'I've lost everything.'

Wyatt instantly got up off the bed as she began to cry, and his arms were wrapped around her before he had even sat down at her side. Lucy leant her head against him as she the tears fell, her forehead resting against his cheek, and he stroked her arms consolingly.

His face crumpled. 'You haven't lost me,' Wyatt promised, his eyes glistening with tears, and Lucy let out a little sob as he hugged her more tightly to his chest.

Lucy had never been more grateful for Wyatt's presence in that very moment, as he held her to him. She knew now that he was there for her, that he would never leave her, that she could always count on him to lean on. It was such a relief after all this time of thinking he was dead, after six weeks of her mother attempting to brainwash her into an evil, murdering, tyrannical society. But now she was in his arms, and although all seemed terrible now, she knew it would turn out all right in the end…because she had Wyatt. And there was no time to waste.

Sniffing, Lucy moved her hand up to his neck, her mind set, and reached to cup Wyatt's tearful face, as if to confirm that he was real, that he really was alive, and Wyatt frowned slightly while he continued to rub her back, as she stroked his cheek with almost a sense of urgency. He was confused as her hand began to pull his face nearer, but then his features softened as Lucy pulled back slightly to look at him. He gazed into her watery eyes, their foreheads touching, and he breathed in her sweet scent as the look of unspoken longing passed between them. Her eyes fell to his lips, and he grew suddenly nervous.

He hadn't wanted something like this in years, and it had been so long since anyone had cupped his cheek like that…he hadn't been held like this, or even felt this desire to kiss someone, since Jessica. They had been so happy. But that had been so long ago, in the past, back when everything had been different…before Lucy. Because Lucy felt so _right_. The feel of her in his arms, her warm breath, her hands clinging onto him, her beautiful face…but Lucy was far too vulnerable for this. He felt guilty, yet also satisfied, to have Lucy holding him like this, to have her drawing his face nearer to hers…to know that she wanted this just as much as he did. His heart was beating so fast it felt like it could leap out of his chest; he was surprised Lucy couldn't feel it.

As they inched closer and closer, Wyatt felt more and more conflicted…he shouldn't want this, Lucy was grieving, she was desperately upset, she wasn't thinking straight, the timing wasn't right…but then he knew what had passed between them, he knew what had been said and what had been felt in those longing looks between them…he knew she felt the same way, and that they had been parted for six weeks thinking the other one to be dead. And she was wanting this now. He just didn't want this moment to end.

And then Lucy's lips were there, merely a centimetre away, and Wyatt hand slowly slid up to her neck to draw her closer and –

'Hey, guys, uh…'

Wyatt leaned away from Lucy at once, his arms still around her, and she slowly removed her hand from his cheek. They looked around at Jiya, who was stood awkwardly in the doorway looking sheepish and like she very much regretted choosing this moment to enter the room.

'Sorry…sorry to interrupt. Um…you're gonna wanna see this,' Jiya said, indicating that they should follow, and she backed away and left back down the corridor.

Still stroking her back, Wyatt looked back at Lucy. Lucy gazed at him for a second, then pulled away from him, avoiding his eye contact; in response, he slowly removed his arms from around her. Lucy was ashamed; she had pushed it too far, she had forced him to try and respond. What if she had ruined things between them now?

In some ways Wyatt felt relieved that Jiya had interrupted. He and Lucy were both damaged and needed time to heal before they jumped into the possibility of each other. But he couldn't kid himself that he was also slightly crushed that their magical moment had ceased. He had made up his mind. He had been going to kiss her.

'Lucy, I…' Wyatt began awkwardly.

'It's okay, Wyatt, you don't need to say anything,' Lucy murmured, getting up from the bed and shielding her face from him with her hair.

'No, but…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take advantage-'

'You weren't, it was my fault, I…actually, I can't do this now,' Lucy said, sighing heavily, and she ran a hand through her hair as she continued to avoid his gaze. 'Wyatt, you know how I f…you know I want…'

She trailed off awkwardly, too afraid, too embarrassed to say it…but Wyatt got up to his feet too and put a hand on her shoulder.

'It's okay. You don't have to…I know,' he reassured her, smiling at her warmly.

Lucy gulped and nodded nervously. 'I just…I just need some time,' she whispered, meeting his tender gaze and wiping a stray tear from her cheek.

'Of course. Don't worry,' Wyatt said earnestly, and he reached out to stroke her cheek and gaze lovingly at her. 'We've got all the time in the world.'

He smiled at Lucy for a moment, before realising that he had spoken those exact words to Jessica once. Lucy smiled sadly at him, wondering if Jessica's shadow would ever stop following them, and she touched his hand briefly before removing it from her cheek.

'Come on, let's go see what they've found,' she murmured, leading the way towards the door.

A lump in his throat, Wyatt nodded and then they left the room together. Lucy hung back slightly and walked a little way behind him as they headed down the corridor, rather stunned by what had nearly just occurred between the two of them, but Wyatt tried not to be too despondent about her sudden urge to keep her distance. One day, maybe in a few days, or a few weeks, or a few months – it didn't matter – they would both slowly begin to realise that they were recovering nicely from their traumatising ordeal, and that they were ready to try being together. Until that day though, Wyatt would make sure that he was going to be there as her friend, as her family, to help Lucy heal. Their time would come, eventually, and it would be wonderful, he just knew it. And nothing was going to get in their way.


	25. The Open Road

**This chapters covers the first half of 2x02 :)**

* * *

'How's she doing?'

Jiya looked up from the workstation to see Wyatt hovering anxiously by her computer, watching her with a concerned frown on his face.

'Same as she was when you asked me yesterday,' Jiya replied wearily. 'If anything, I'd say you'd have more of an idea, you spend the most time with her out of any of us, you're practically glued to her.'

'I'm not the one sharing a room with her at night,' Wyatt noted.

'Hmm, believe me, I know,' Jiya said, a hint of bitterness to her tone as she raised her eyebrows. 'The sooner you two just get on with it, then we can change the sleeping arrangements round so the couples can be together.'

Wyatt sighed exasperatedly, but didn't even blush; he and Jiya had got too close over the past few weeks for him to get embarrassed about her mentioning his and Lucy's plainly obvious attraction to each other.

'We don't want to rush into…actually no, I don't have to explain that to you,' he said irritably. 'But, I _am_ sorry you and Rufus are…missing out on some…quality night time together.'

'"Quality night time"?' Jiya said, smirking, and Wyatt pulled a face.

'Okay, just…y'know, just forget it, I…'

But Jiya was laughing. 'Wyatt, it's okay,' she reassured him, and he gave a heavy sigh.

'I'm sorry, I don't mean to keep interrogating you, I just…I'm worried Lucy's hiding stuff. It's been two weeks and she still hasn't really told us what happened,' he said anxiously. 'She's not in a good place right now.'

'I know. She's…very different since she got back,' Jiya murmured.

'Is she still not sleeping?' Wyatt asked.

'Nope. I don't think so, anyway. Still staring at the ceiling a lot,' Jiya replied uneasily.

Wyatt exhaled deeply as he rested against her desk. 'I don't know what we can do to help her.'

'We can be there for her. That's all we can do at the minute, until she's ready to talk about it,' Jiya said softly, and she gave him a sympathetic smile. 'Try not to worry, Wyatt. She knows how much you care. She'll be all right soon enough.'

Wyatt smiled gratefully back at her and then leaned off the desk. 'I'm gonna go take a shower.'

'I'm happy for you.'

Wyatt rolled his eyes. 'Yeah, I don't know why I told you that,' he muttered, and he walked away towards the bathroom, leaving Jiya sniggering to herself.

After his shower, Wyatt quickly wrapped his towel around himself and as he headed over to the mirror to brush his teeth, he glanced down at the broken tile that he had punched away from the wall. He had been so distraught back then. And yet, despite having Lucy back now, he hadn't relaxed as much as he'd thought he would have done. It troubled him deeply to see her so clearly far away from her usual self…so distant and numb. He wanted nothing more than to comfort her and talk her through the trauma of the past six weeks…but every time he made an effort to, Lucy either quickly changed the subject or found some excuse to leave the room. She couldn't face reliving it just yet.

Just then, he heard the bathroom door creak open, and Wyatt sighed irritably; why did he always forget about that? He turned around to see Lucy, stood in some scruffy clothes and carrying her toiletries back, and she blushed furiously.

'Oh. I'm sorry, Wyatt,' she murmured, backing away.

But Wyatt held his hand up, chuckling softly. 'My bad. I forgot to put the chair in front of the door again.'

'I hear you've got a really bad habit of that,' Lucy said, raising her eyebrows in amusement as she leaned against the doorway. 'I think everyone in this bunker has walked in on you naked in here at least once.'

'Everyone except you, so far,' Wyatt said jokingly, indicating the towel covering his lower half, and he grimaced at the stunned, wide-eyed look on Lucy's face. 'That was weird, sorry.'

Lucy began to laugh – something Wyatt had not seen her do since their first initial reunion in that tent in 1918 – but then her smile faded when she caught sight of his bare back.

'Wyatt, what…what's that?'

Wyatt frowned at her tone. 'What's what?'

'Those marks on your back,' Lucy said in a small voice, walking slowly over to him.

'Oh, it's nothing. It's just…y'know, from the bomb at Mason Industries,' Wyatt replied airily, wishing he had a towel big enough that could cover up those hideous, bloody gashes.

Lucy clasped a hand to her mouth as she stepped over to him. 'Oh my God. You never said you got injured in the explosion,' she murmured in horror, unable to take her eyes off his back.

'It wasn't a big deal, Lucy, don't worry-'

'It _looks_ a big deal. Those scars are really deep. Are you…are you in pain? Does it hurt?' she asked, concerned.

Wyatt hesitated. 'Not anymore,' he admitted.

Lucy was close to him now, her hand reaching tentatively out. 'May I…?'

'Hm-hm…' was all Wyatt could reply, for his heart was racing so, his nervous breathing coming out deep and shaky as Lucy's hand made contact with his skin.

At her gentle touch, he closed his eyes and sighed in content as Lucy softly stroked one of the gashes on his back, and he realised he didn't have to be ashamed or hide his scars from her. She was there for him, just as he was there for her. He realised then that this had been their most intimate exchange since the day Lucy had returned and they had almost kissed in her and Jiya's room. Slowly, Wyatt turned around to face her; her hand trailed off his back and hovered unsurely as she looked up to meet his gaze, completely unperturbed by his bare chest right in front of her.

'Lucy…' Wyatt began gently, but then he smiled, for she had said, 'Wyatt' at exactly the same time.

They both paused and gazed into each other's eyes, their proximity overwhelming Lucy and almost making her forget all her woes that had been pressing on her mind, and Wyatt reached his hand out to slowly intertwine his fingers with hers…

'Hey!'

Lucy and Wyatt jerked apart and spun round to see Connor Mason stood in the bathroom doorway, looking outraged. Sighing irritably, Wyatt clasped a hand to his forehead, while Lucy simply glared defiantly back at Mason.

'Is there a problem?' she asked coolly.

'Err – yes, there is!' Mason snapped, infuriated. 'In case you'd forgotten, this is the only bathroom in this God-forsaken place. There are other people who need to use it. Save your…canoodling for elsewhere.'

'Oh my God, you did _not_ just say that,' Wyatt muttered.

Lucy's lips twitched, amused. 'Sorry, Connor. You can have my turn.'

'W-well…I'd prefer it if I were alone,' Mason said quietly, casting Wyatt's toned torso an uneasy glance.

'I'll be out of here in a minute, jeez,' Wyatt reassured him, rolling his eyes.

'Good. We need to get on with going over Keynes' notes again. I've got the files uploaded to a few of the computers now, so we can all spend some time individually studying its contents,' Mason said enthusiastically.

'Can't wait,' Lucy replied, wiggling her eyebrows at Wyatt before leaving the bathroom, her heart rate slowly returning to its normal pace.

The scanned documents Mason was referring to were the notes from the captain's cell phone back in 1918 that Wyatt and Rufus had encountered. Everyone in the bunker had briefly looked over the files already, to see that they had been written in 1910, and contained ideas for what Rittenhouse could do with a time machine. Even back then, Rittenhouse had wanted to change history, and correct past mistakes to make a present more favourable to them – one where they would be in charge. With this notion in mind, they wouldn't have to take over the world, as they would already own it.

The documents on the cell phone had identified that Rittenhouse aimed to target what they called 'pressure points' – key moments in history to change the present – and, from fixing the quantum gravity equation on the system, Mason had revealed that the Mothership had visited ten different destinations in the past two months, which Carol had not told Lucy about. History could have changed, and they wouldn't even have known it. Wyatt deduced that Rittenhouse had planted sleeper cell agents throughout these various pressure points in history – just like the 1918 captain, who had worked his way up through the ranks, and Emma, who had been in the late 1800s for ten years. They were playing the long game, biding their time and leading regular lives, just waiting to be activated.

To make matters worse, they had also discovered that the manifestos and documents on the cell phone had been written by Nicholas Keynes…the man Carol and Emma had saved in 1918 and brought back to the present day. Lucy had been worrying constantly about what her mother could possibly be doing with this man and his terrible ideas, and so it came as no surprise to Wyatt when he later found Lucy lying on a couch in the lounge space of the bunker, pouring over the files once more on a laptop.

'A little light reading, huh?' Wyatt said, and Lucy looked over her shoulder.

'Oh, just Rittenhouse's creepy cult manifesto,' she replied in a tired voice, turning back to the laptop.

Wyatt frowned; she had changed back to her empty self. The Lucy he had encountered briefly in the bathroom earlier had hidden herself away. And it was all because of Rittenhouse. Carol, Emma, Nicholas Keynes…the fear, the trauma, the anguish was making Lucy withdraw further into herself. And Wyatt was worried that, sooner or later, there would be nothing of the real Lucy left.

'That stuff's crazy,' he muttered, walking over to join her.

'Crazy my mother believes in,' Lucy said shortly, shutting the laptop firmly closed.

Wyatt sighed heavily as he sat down on the armchair next to her, and hesitated, thinking long and hard about whether to approach this subject again. 'Can I ask you something?' he said in a gentle voice, and as Lucy sat up, encouraging him to continue, he leaned forward. 'What'd they do to you in there?'

Lucy stared at him for a moment, then shrugged. 'Nothing to talk about,' she replied.

She hated herself for saying it. She knew Wyatt was only trying to help, and as someone who had endured war and PTSD himself, he was the best person to talk to. He would understand. He would help her find a way to recover. But Lucy just couldn't bring herself to talk to him about it yet. She didn't want him to see her as more of a vulnerable victim than he already did. And she didn't want to voice aloud what her mother had done. Only then would it make it more real…and therefore more painful.

Despite the effort it took her to keep a straight face blank of all emotion, she knew from the tilt of his head that she wasn't fooling Wyatt.

'Which is why you're staring at the ceiling all night every night?' Wyatt went on softly, raising his eyebrows at her, and he gave her a sympathetic smile. 'Your roommate Jiya sold you out.'

'So she's spying on me?'

'She's worried about you,' Wyatt said gently, and he looked down briefly before gazing back up at her. 'We all are.'

Lucy looked down at her lap. 'I appreciate everyone's concern, but…I'm fine,' she murmured, forcing a smile at him, and before he had a chance to say anything else, she got up from the couch and walked away.

Wyatt let her go, even though he knew she was lying. He didn't want to push her. He knew she needed space. Besides…it soon transpired that there were more urgent matters to worry about for time being; the moment Lucy had left the lounge, the bunker alarms started blaring, announcing that the Mothership had travelled to South Caroline, 1955. Lucy couldn't figure out why this particular year, as nothing famous or historical had taken place in that area as far as she could recall, but then suggested that there was someone else who might be able to help them figure it out. Wyatt knew instantly who she was talking about – after all, their minds were pretty much on the same wavelength now – but no matter much he tried to dissuade her from visiting Flynn where he was locked up in jail, she wouldn't listen. Even in her numb, traumatised state, she was still just as stubborn.

'You know you can't trust him, right?' Wyatt said to Lucy urgently as he followed her and Agent Christopher towards the bunker exit.

'I know his past actions go against him, but something changed with Flynn when we last saw him. Remember? He chose not to blow up Rittenhouse at that summit in 1954. He listened to what I said,' Lucy said desperately, fixing Wyatt with an imploring gaze as Agent Christopher unlocked the front door. 'So there _has_ to be a part of him that's good…and I think he's the only shot we've got if we want any idea of why Rittenhouse are targeting South Carolina.'

Wyatt sighed. 'I hope you're right. Hey. Just…be careful,' he said, touching her arm briefly. 'Agent Christopher-'

'I get it, Wyatt, if something happens to Lucy, you'll kill me,' Agent Christopher said, unconcerned, and Lucy and Wyatt exchanged smiles. 'We'll be back here in about an hour.'

Although it was torturous for Wyatt waiting around, wondering why on earth he had let Lucy leave the bunker and be separated from him, he didn't have to wait for very long – Lucy and Agent Christopher returned within the hour, as promised, and more surprisingly with helpful information from Flynn. It turned out that Flynn could remember a South Carolina address from a Rittenhouse agent he had once killed. The house in question was in Darlington, and was owned by famous NASCAR driver Ryan Millerson, who it quickly became apparent was one of Wyatt's idols. This was surprising, as Lucy had no idea who he was, and so it was extremely amusing to see Wyatt get so excited.

It almost felt like they were back in their old job working for Homeland Security at Mason Industries as the team got back in the Lifeboat and headed to 1955 – after all, their motive to stop someone evil from changing the timeline was just the same. Once they had arrived, they headed to Flynn's recommended address and met Ryan Millerson's heavily pregnant wife, where they posed as reporters. They soon find out that Millerson was racing at the Darlington 500 later on today and was strongly tipped to win…but his wife also revealed that other 'reporters' had visited earlier, including a woman with red hair and freckles – Emma.

So, Lucy, Wyatt and Rufus headed to the Darlington International Raceway track, where there were crowds of people, endless cars, reporters, police, and cameras, and Wyatt grew positively giddy with excitement as he admired all the parked cars. Once Lucy and Rufus had finished teasing him for being such a nerd, they proceeded to look for Ryan in the hope that they would find him before Emma did…but then they were distracted by the sight of Wendell Scott, a black racing driver, pushing someone out of a garage with an infuriated look on his face. Wyatt's face lit up in pleasant surprise, and Lucy could tell just from his reaction that this Wendell Scott person was clearly more of a big deal to Wyatt than even Ian Fleming had been. So, it came as no surprise when they saw a crowd of men angrily follow Scott back into the garage that Wyatt saw fit to go after them.

'No, no, not toward the fighting!' Lucy muttered anxiously as she and Rufus hurried after Wyatt, but it was too late – Wyatt had already charged in there.

Posing as police officers, Wyatt and the others managed to convince the aggressive men to leave the garage, and as soon as they did, Wyatt took the opportunity to introduce himself to his hero.

'Wyatt Logan,' he said, shaking Wendell's hand and smiling warmly. 'Big fan of yours.'

Wendell raised his eyebrows at him sceptically. 'Makes you one lonely fella,' he said, and Wyatt chuckled.

'We're actually looking for a man named Ryan Millerson-' Lucy began, but Wyatt distracted them as he drew his attention on the dusty red car parked beside them in the garage.

'Is this Old Rusty? Car that made the Fall Creek Run,' Wyatt said, awed, as he looked around the car; Lucy turned to Rufus and shook her head in despair.

'How do you know about that?' Wendell asked curiously.

'My dad's a driver. Not a racer, but he taught me some moves,' Wyatt explained, peering through the windows at the interior of the car, a dazed look on his face.

'So, Wendell, you could really help us out if-' But Lucy broke off again with an irritated expression as Wyatt continued talking, oblivious and having completely forgotten the pressing issue of the mission.

'Is it true you were running moonshine, and when you saw the police road blocks, you threw it into reverse, took a hairpin turn backwards at 70 miles an hour?' Wyatt asked Wendell, beaming away, inspired.

Wendell laughed. 'By the time the police got to my garage, I had my engine out the car and on the chain, no charges filed,' he said.

Wyatt turned eagerly to Lucy and whispered, 'Wow!', and although Lucy forced an enthusiastic smile back at him, her face turned serious the moment he looked away. She felt like a wife being irritated by her husband.

Wendell then opened the back hood of the car to reveal the small trunk…and then with a clank, he revealed a secret compartment inside it. Lucy and Rufus opened their mouths in shock as they took in the sight of the bottles and containers hidden in the container.

'Is that moonshine?' Rufus asked, astonished.

'Just to show appreciation for what you did for me,' Wendell said with a smile, and he passed over one of the bottles to Wyatt.

Wyatt took it keenly. 'Thank you,' he said, and Lucy darted forward as she watched him begin to open the bottle lid.

'Oh, I'll take that,' she said pointedly, seizing the bottle from his arms.

Rufus smirked. They were definitely like a married couple.

'We actually, um, don't want any moonshine, we just wanna know if you know who Ryan Millerson is,' Lucy said to Wendell, her patience running out.

This time, Wyatt didn't interrupt her; instead, he flashed her a guilty, apologetic glance, having realised that he had been interfering with the job at hand, and soon enough Wendell had reassured them that he would be able to introduce them to Ryan Millerson, who was in a garage not too far from the one they were currently in.

'So what's the deal with this Wendell Scott dude? He runs moonshine _and_ he's a racer?' Rufus asked, once Wendell was out of earshot.

Wyatt opened his mouth to answer, but Lucy beat him to it.

'Well, that's how stock car racing started,' she replied, and Wyatt turned to face her with a dazed, tender look in his eyes. 'They were driving fast to get away from the cops, and it turned into driving fast on the dirt tracks.'

Aware of Wyatt's eyes on her, she turned to face him. He looked like he could kiss her right there and then. Lucy smirked.

'I know sports history too,' she said casually, shrugging, and Wyatt grinned at her.

Wendell soon led them outside and as they strolled along the racing track towards Millerson's garage, Lucy and Rufus listened closely as Wyatt and Wendell talked.

'How'd you know about Fall Creek Run? You a bootlegger before you became a cop?' Wendell asked.

'I was,' Wyatt admitted, and Lucy raised her eyebrows. 'Misspent youth.'

'Not a bad way to make ends meet, is it?' Wendell said, chuckling. 'Until I start winning the big races, anyway.'

'Well, I'm sure you're gonna,' Wyatt said, beaming away at him.

'Let me see if I can get y'all an introduction,' Wendell then said.

'All right.'

'Yep, that's you. Wyatt Logan, notorious bootlegger,' Rufus said in a mockingly dramatic voice, the moment Wendell had walked away.

Lucy laughed softly at Rufus's little joke. Wyatt glanced from her to Rufus, wondering whether he should lie. But then he realised no – he had to be honest around them both, particularly Lucy. After all, he'd told himself earlier in the bunker today: he had no reason to be ashamed in front of her now.

'I was,' Wyatt said simply, and Rufus chuckled. 'No, seriously. I used to run stuff across the Texas border.'

'Oh, what, like you ran moonshine?' Lucy said sceptically, her eyebrows raised.

'Let's just say it was a little stronger than that,' Wyatt replied heavily, and Lucy's smile faded slightly as she realised he was being serious. 'A little more illegal.'

'How old were you?' she asked, surprised.

'About 15,' Wyatt replied, and when he took in her flabbergasted expression, he gave an innocent shrug. 'You guys never asked.'

Lucy didn't mind about what Wyatt had just revealed; on the contrary, she found herself even more attracted to that dangerous, rebellious side of him. It fascinated her, though, to see him be so different to who he had been as a teenager, particularly with that adoring smile as they then bid their thanks and farewell to Wendell, who had managed to secure them a meeting with Ryan Millerson.

'See you later,' Wyatt called after Wendell, who had long walked away, and with a roll of her eyes Lucy grabbed his arm and urged him forward.

'Come on, fan boy,' she said fondly, an endearing smile on her face as they walked along the track to meet Millerson, Wyatt still beaming away.

Unfortunately, Wyatt's giddy mood didn't last long – after asking Ryan Millerson if he had seen Emma, and then discovering a trigger install for a bomb inside his car, it came as a horrific shock for the three of them to discover that Millerson, who had suddenly pointed a gun at them, was actually the Rittenhouse sleeper agent. Emma then entered, making Lucy quake with fear as the sight of her reminded her vividly of those terrible weeks alone with her in Rittenhouse headquarters…but just as Emma ordered her fellow Rittenhouse agent to kill them, Wendell Scott turned up and stopped them with a fire extinguisher grenade.

Rescuing Lucy and the others, Wendell shoved them into his car and drove them away to safety. Lucy and Wyatt were squashed up in the backseat of the car, their heads ducked down and Wyatt lying across Lucy to hide her from view in case any more Rittenhouse agents were to see them through the car windows. He held her hand firmly until Wendell announced that the coast was clear, after which the two of them slowly sat up, rather flustered, and still pressed up rather closely together.

It turned out that some of Wendell's rivals had messed with his car's engine again, so they headed over to his garage just out of town. While Wendell worked on fixing the engine inside his garage, Lucy, Wyatt and Rufus went about debating what Ryan Millerson could possibly be planning to do with the bomb in his car. They realised that Rittenhouse must have taken him from 2018 and dropped him off in 1946, where he had lived his life and become a racing legend, which meant that Rittenhouse had already changed history – all Wyatt's memories of him were new because they had planted him in the past. As if that alone wasn't troubling enough, it was no surprising fact that the Darlington 500 was the biggest race of the year, where all the car companies' CEOs and top engineers would be attending. Cars were the most valuable industry in the world right now, and if anything disastrous happened at this race, it could cripple the companies, and Rittenhouse would take control of all of them. They were left with no choice but to try and find a way back to the race track to stop Millerson.

While Lucy led Rufus away to tend to his arm, which he had burned when attempting to help Wendell fix his car engine, Wyatt stayed behind to talk to Wendell and try to persuade him to believe them when they said everyone at the race today was in danger. This was harder said than done, and, reluctantly, Wyatt realised he needed to open up more about his past than he had bargained for in order to gain Wendell's trust.

'Dad taught you how to drive and wrench?' Wendell was saying, impressed, as Wyatt helped him fix his car engine. 'Sounds like a good man.'

Wyatt hesitated. 'He didn't do it out of love,' he admitted, and he sighed. 'When I'd mouth off he'd hit me, and, uh…throw me in the back of his precious old Chevy, rip around the backwoods at night with the lights off, just to scare the crap out of me. He'd run the car till something broke…he'd tell me I wasn't allowed to come home until I fixed it. He'd just sit there with his beer and his cigarettes, laughing at me.'

Wendell slowly looked up from his engine to face Wyatt, horrified. 'And I thought my daddy was a son of a bitch,' he mumbled. 'Give me a hand with this. This don't work…your daddy's beatings won't hold a candle to what I'm gonna do to you.'

Wyatt chuckled as they worked together on fixing the fuel filter in the engine. 'What'd your dad do?' he asked, interested.

'He wasn't mean…he just liked to gamble too much. One day, Mom told him to choose between his family and his racketing. Never saw him again,' Wendell replied simply.

'Shoot, I'd use to pray my dad would run off. When I turned 15 and realized he wouldn't…I did,' Wyatt said, an almost proud tone to his voice. 'I took his car.'

Wendell looked astonished. 'You stole his car?'

'Yeah. Figured he owed me at least that much,' Wyatt said, and they both laughed. 'Ran it till the pistons blew and I drove the damn thing straight into a lake.'

Wendell chuckled, but then stopped as he looked over Wyatt's shoulder; Wyatt followed his gaze to see Lucy and Rufus stood there near the garage entrance, watching them both with innocent expressions, Rufus's arm bandaged up. Lucy gave Wyatt a tentative wave, and that was all Wyatt needed to see to confirm his fear – they had heard every word he'd just said to Wendell about his father. Wyatt's smile faded and his eyes flickered to the ground, embarrassed, as Wendell went around to the front of the car to try the ignition.

Lucy barely paid attention as the engine of Wendell's car successfully grinded to life; she was too busy gazing over at Wyatt, whose head was bent down.

 _He ran away from home when he was 15. His dad hit and scared him as a boy. No wonder he'd turned to bootlegging._

Lucy was in wonder that Wyatt had managed to turn out into the amazing man she knew and loved now. She was completely in awe of him. She just wished Wyatt could see that, and stop worrying about her judging him, which he was obviously doing now. Nothing he could say or do would stop her from feeling the way she did about him.

'All right,' Wendell said with a resigned grin. 'I'll sneak y'all back into the track.'

'Really?' Lucy asked, laughing softly, and then she cleared her throat. 'Thank you…so much, um…just _one_ question – how are we gonna get back in? Because…I think they're gonna be looking for us.'

'Yeah, Rufus will ride up front with me. And you two are getting in another way,' Wendell said, a mischievous glint in his eye as he smiled slyly at Lucy and Wyatt.

Something in his playful tone made Lucy glance nervously at Wyatt; he looked back at her and gave an airy shrug. It shortly became evident, as Wendell then proceeded to open his car trunk and remove the bottles of moonshine from the secret compartment, where exactly he intended Lucy and Wyatt to go on their ride back to the Darlington race track.

Lucy swallowed loudly. 'Um…wait, do you expect us to go in _there_?' she said sceptically, as Wendell hid the moonshine bottles away under some compartments in the garage, chuckling away. 'I don't think one full-grown adult can fit inside, let alone two.'

'Well let's just try it,' Wyatt said in a breezy tone, and at the stunned look on Lucy's face, he laughed. 'C'mon, it's our best shot. We can squeeze, it's fine.'

'Oh,' Lucy said in a small voice, stepping tentatively forward. 'O-oh, okay.'

'Have fun, you guys,' Rufus said, flashing them a cheeky wink before getting into the passenger seat at the front.

Wendell stood by the trunk hood and gestured with his arm for them to get in. 'Ladies first,' he said.

Lucy stared at the small trunk before her. It was so narrow, so tiny. It would be so dark inside. Shaking slightly, she took a few nervous steps backwards.

'A-actually, I'm not sure this is a good idea, I-'

Wendell frowned, confused. 'Why, what's the problem?'

'Lucy's not a fan of cars,' Wyatt replied calmly, and he turned to Lucy and put his hands on both her shoulders, his expression gentle. 'Hey, it's okay. I'll go in first, I'll make sure there's enough space for you. Everything will be fine – you've got a world-class racer driving us, there won't be a problem. And I'll be right next to you. Okay?'

Lucy considered him for a moment. _I'll be right next to you_. She gave a rather shaky nod, and smiled. He smiled fondly back at her, and then, taking off his red jacket, he scrambled into the trunk and lay down. Pressing himself right against the edge of the secret moonshine compartment, he then lay the jacket down in the narrow space beside him for her to lie on. Trembling, Lucy crawled inside the truck after him

'Okay…wow, this is really small,' she whispered, manoeuvring herself awkwardly into the moonshine compartment. 'Hi.'

'Hi,' Wyatt murmured, chuckling softly as she lay down on top of his jacket beside him.

'Y'all good?' Wendell asked.

'Yeah, we just about fit,' Lucy replied, her voice shaking with nerves.

'Let's get on with this then – watch out!' Wendell said, and Lucy leaned into Wyatt briefly as Wendell slid down the hood to the secret compartment, shutting them in and enveloping them in darkness.

'Oh, God,' Lucy whispered fearfully, breathing deeply.

'It's okay, it's okay. Try not to worry. I'm here,' Wyatt murmured softly to her, and she tried to concentrate on the comforting warmth radiating from his skin and breath as she listened to Wendell shut the trunk and move round to the front to start the engine.

The two of them remained in silence, lying side by side, pressed against each other in the tight, enclosed space, as the engine rumbled to life beneath them, making the car vibrate and Lucy shake. They jolted into each other slightly as the car set off onto the main road, but then settled down into a comfortable position. Lucy tried to concentrate on breathing and remaining calm, but it was hard when she was shut inside a miniscule secret compartment of a car trunk beside the man she had fallen hopelessly in love with. If they had felt squashed in the backseat before, it was nothing compared to how they felt now in this tiny trunk.

Wyatt seemed to be thinking along the same lines. 'Well…this is cosy,' he murmured playfully.

There was a short pause, and then Lucy slowly started to laugh, and Wyatt laughed along with her, both of them blushing. Lucy could remember Wyatt saying something similar to her last year when they had shared the spare bed at Bonnie and Clyde's cabin, only instead of 'cosy' he had said, 'well…this is awkward'. How times had changed.

As they drove along, Wendell stuck the radio on, and as the rock and roll music played through the front speaker, he called back to his two guests in the trunk.

'You two a'ight back there?'

'Yeah, we're fine,' Wyatt replied, resting his head on his elbow as he lay on his side, watching Lucy carefully, concerned by her petrified expression as she stared up at the roof. 'Right?'

Lucy gave him a sideways glance. 'So far so good,' she called back to Wendell, a slight tremor in her voice.

While Rufus and Wendell chatted in the front, Lucy tried once more to concentrate on her breathing. She couldn't pretend that she wasn't scared, not after the last time she had been trapped in a car. And it didn't help that the man lying next to her was making her unbelievably nervous. She exhaled deeply, closing her eyes as she told herself internally to stop freaking out, and she noticed Wyatt gaze at her.

She sighed, embarrassed. 'I'm sorry,' she murmured. 'I'm so…'

'Wildly claustrophobic?' Wyatt finished for her, a sly grin on his face.

Lucy smirked back at him. 'Not helping,' she said sternly.

'Sorry…'

And then with a huge thump, the car jolted roughly as they drove over a bump in the road, and Lucy felt her heart drop to her stomach.

'Ooh!' she gasped, wishing she would just be able to lie still. 'Oh, God.'

'Here. Why don't you just hang-hang on to me,' Wyatt said, shuffling awkwardly beside her, and he moved his arm under her to support her back and shoulder, drawing her closer to him.

Heart racing, Lucy moved right up against his chest, and moved her arm up to hold onto his shoulder. It was almost as if they were hugging, only lying side-by-side. And, as strange as it was for them to comprehend, it didn't feel new or nerve-wracking. It felt almost like it was normal for them to hold each other like this, for them to cuddle in a secret compartment in the trunk of a car, and Lucy had never been more grateful for the comfort and solace of Wyatt's arms. In the instant he had wrapped his arms protectively around her and pulled her close to him, Lucy found that she no longer had to consciously remember to take deep breaths. She wasn't afraid anymore.

'Is all that stuff you said about your dad true?' Lucy asked quietly after a minutes' peaceful silence, her hand on his neck.

Wyatt didn't answer. He just managed a small smile, aware of how intimately close they were, how her face was merely inches away from his, his nose almost touching her cheek. It felt so nice to hold her like this.

'Hmm. I don't know how you do that. Just…call him a bastard one second, and the next be laughing about it,' Lucy murmured, glancing up at him, and once again being awestruck at how handsome he was.

'Maybe…it's 'cause I drove his car into a lake,' Wyatt said, and they both laughed softly. 'I just sort of let it go after that.'

His hand had come to rest on the nape of her neck, his fingers gently caressing loose strands of her hair that had escaped her ponytail, and the warm gaze in his eyes, the irresistible smile…it was more than enough to distract Lucy from her phobia and their frightening situation. All she could focus on was Wyatt.

'Hmm. You're lucky you never admired him,' she said quietly, and she didn't even tremble as the car rattled beneath them, jolting them both slightly.

'Of course I admired him, he was my dad. For years I thought that every terrible thing he did was my fault,' Wyatt said heavily, a slight bitterness to his tone, and Lucy watched him sadly.

'I revered my mother. I thought she was…Superwoman. Come to find out that she's just…terrible,' Lucy whispered, her mind still haunted by the vivid images of Carol backing away from her own daughter towards Emma and the Mothership.

'Maybe it's a good thing,' Wyatt murmured.

Lucy glanced up at him curiously. She still could hardly believe that they were holding onto each other like this, that their faces were so close.

'What do you mean?' she asked softly, tilting her head more towards him.

'Well…now you know. You know for sure, you can move on. Nothing ahead but the open road,' Wyatt said gently, a hopeful tone to his voice.

They gazed at each other for a minute, and then as Wyatt's face broke out into a warm smile, they both began to laugh softly, and simultaneously tightened their hold of each other. They could then hear the sound of loud cheering from nearby crowds from outside; they had arrived at the race track. Soon they would park up in a garage, and Lucy and Wyatt would be forced to let go of each other and remove themselves from this conveniently confined space. It was strange; Lucy had been dreading going in this trunk, but it hadn't turned out so bad after all. And all she could think about now was what Wyatt had said…and how the open road seemed to only spell out the two of them, together at last…or so she could hope, anyway.

It was only when the car rolled to an unexpected stop that Lucy's attention was diverted from Wyatt's warm chest and arms enveloping her, and remembered the potential danger they were in.

'Paid the race fees this morning, Carl,' they heard Wendell saying from the front.

'Looking for some unfamiliars. White couple and a Negro. Took a run at Millerson,' a security guard answered from outside.

As the guard questioned who Rufus was, Lucy's fingers tightened against Wyatt's shirt collar and she held onto him fearfully. She leaned her head into his shoulder, and he gave her arm a reassuring squeeze, his other hand moving further along her waist to hold her more protectively. They had known the risk, they had known this could well happen – after all, why else had they hidden here in the trunk? – but still, Wyatt wasn't sure he liked the tone in the security guard's voice.

'Anyway, gotta search your trunk,' the guard said, and Wyatt's shoulders tensed.

'Wyatt,' Lucy mouthed anxiously, too scared to even whisper, but Wyatt pressed his finger to her lips and held her cheek, briefly and gently, before moving his hand to stroke her arm, trying to reassure her.

'Look, man, I'm in a rush, but, uh, give you ten bucks, you let us skate on by and get to racing,' Wendell said.

'Many thanks. Now open your trunk,' the guard ordered, firmly and angrily.

Lucy swallowed loudly and tightened her hold around Wyatt's neck; he was breathing deeply, trying not to appear too nervous for her sake. They listened as Wendell reluctantly got out of the drivers' seat and slowly trudged around to the back of the car, the sound of the guards' heavy footsteps getting closer. As they listened, Lucy's hand moved slowly from Wyatt's neck down to his chest, where she could feel his heart beating incredibly fast.

What if they found the moonshine compartment? What were they going to do?

Wendell hesitated as he stood uncomfortably by the trunk. 'This really necessary-?' he protested.

But the security guard cut over him sharply. ' _Now_.'

And, as Lucy and Wyatt waited with baited breath in each others' arms for the trunk to be opened, they gazed into each other's eyes desperately, Wyatt's fingers softly stroking her bare arm. Closing her eyes, Lucy leaned her face against his so that her cheek was touching his forehead, and it was a blissful oblivion, because even if they were discovered…whatever happened…at least they had each other.


	26. You Made Me Love You

**This chapter covers the last half of 2x02, and the first half of 2x03 (my favourite episode!) :)**

* * *

Lucy stopped breathing for a moment as Wendell opened the lid of the trunk, and she grasped tightly onto Wyatt's shirt, comforted by the warmth of his skin on her forehead. There was a silence as the two of them waited for the security guard to rummage around the empty trunk…for him to inevitably find the catch to the moonshine compartment where they were hidden away…

But then they heard Wendell say in a smug voice, 'All good?'

The security guard didn't reply…but then they heard the lid of the trunk smack down, and the footsteps walk away. Lucy closed her eyes and let out a sigh of relief, and she leant her head off Wyatt's shoulder slightly, reassured by the sound of Wendell getting back into the drivers' seat and starting the engine.

'Told you I had it,' Wendell said to Rufus.

They then set back off, but as the car roared to life, the uneven surface of the road jolted the back of the car, causing Wyatt to tumble sideways and roll over right onto Lucy, his arms still around her, his face touching hers. Lucy gasped in surprise, but once the car had rounded the corner and Wyatt had slowly leaned back off of her, she found herself laughing. He smiled in amusement – he loved the sound of her laughter; it was so nice and rare to hear.

'You all right?' Wyatt asked, chuckling as well. 'Wasn't expecting that.'

Lucy just kept laughing, amused by how cliché this situation was – she hadn't thought that there had even been enough distance left between them for them to close, but she had certainly been wrong after that sudden jolt of the car. She tightened her hold of Wyatt's shoulder, and as he moved his face closer slightly and the laughter died down, Lucy tilted her head towards him and looked up at him, a slight smile on her face. Wyatt gazed back down at her, all amusement from his expression gone, the look in his eyes serious and tender.

Something had changed. The tension in the air was tangible, particularly after that brief tumble in which they had been forced even closer. What were they waiting for? They both knew they wanted this…not out of pain, or comfort…but out of true and real feelings. And all they had to do was act on it.

A hint of a smile appeared on Wyatt's lips as he took in the sight of this amazing, beautiful woman, her face inches from his, and he didn't even register the cut of the rumbling engine beneath them as he ever so slowly leaned back over Lucy, so that his face was directly above hers. Her gaze torn between his eyes and his lips, Lucy's hand trailed from his neck to stroke the neat stubble on his cheek. And then her fingers were on his collar, and she slowly pulled Wyatt towards her, her face stretching up to meet his…Wyatt leaned down and their noses touched…he closed his eyes, his hand slowly, tantalisingly crawling up her bare arm…

And then with a thump the hood to the moonshine compartment dropped down; the trunk had been opened.

Their lips had barely brushed each other's as Lucy and Wyatt broke apart and looked up irritably, their eyes blinded by the sudden light pouring through into the trunk, to see Rufus and Wendell stood there. They could hear roaring cars zooming past outside; they had arrived at the garage, and hadn't even noticed that they had stopped moving. They had been too preoccupied with each other…but now the spell had been broken.

Rufus raised his eyebrows as he took in the sight of his two team members lying on top of each other, bodies pressed closely together, Lucy's hand on Wyatt's cheek, Wyatt's arms holding her under her back and around her waist. They made no move to pull away from each other as they looked back, almost accusingly, at Rufus and Wendell. It was then, as Rufus registered Wyatt's slightly annoyed expression, that he noticed that Wyatt's top lip was stained slightly with a colour the same shade as Lucy's bright lipstick.

Wendell and Rufus shared an awkward glance. 'Didn't mean to interrupt,' Wendell said slyly, as Rufus scratched his head.

Lucy and Wyatt glanced at each other for a fraction of a second before looking back at the two men and giving sheepish grins. Wyatt knew there was no point in pretending that nothing had been going on – after all, he was literally lying on top of Lucy with his arms wrapped around her. And besides, why would he want to hide it? It wasn't like it was a secret. Rufus knew what had been going on between Lucy and Wyatt for a long time, perhaps even before they had known it themselves. Lucy then began to giggle as they continued to lie there, half-embarrassed, half-relieved, and Wyatt turned to gaze at her and laughed softly as well as he rested his forehead briefly on hers.

Wendell cleared his throat pointedly. 'So shall we leave you guys to it or…?'

'No, no, we're fine, thank you!' Lucy said, mortified, and she removed her hands from Wyatt. 'We should-'

'Yeah, we should…' Wyatt mumbled, reluctantly getting up off her.

Blushing furiously and still giggling to herself, Lucy shuffled sideways out of the compartment and scrambled out of the trunk. Wyatt followed her, also unable to stop himself from smiling as he jumped down onto the floor. They looked innocently back at Rufus and Wendell for a moment, and then Wendell wandered away, shaking his head in exasperation. Lucy then turned to Wyatt and her lips trembled as she fought back laughter at the flirtatious grin on his face.

'Well thanks for…helping me through my claustrophobia,' she said, her cheeks bright red.

'Anytime…ma'am,' Wyatt said playfully, smirking, and, wiggling her eyebrows at him, Lucy then hurried after Wendell to see if they could work out a plan with how to stop Millerson.

Once Lucy had left, Wyatt turned to Rufus and they stared at each other for a moment. Rufus was still rather stunned by what he had just witnessed.

'Don't start,' Wyatt said, his lips twitching as he grabbed his red jacket from the trunk.

Rufus held his hands up in surrender. 'I wasn't gonna say anything.'

The four of them then proceeded to investigate what was currently happening at the race track: it turned out that all the main executives from Ford, GM and Chrysler were there, and it couldn't have been clearer that Millerson was planning to drive his car into them, thereby killing them all. Wyatt and Wendell discussed tactics on how to prevent this potential tragedy – in 'smuggle talk' that neither Lucy nor Rufus had any way of understanding – and then Wyatt, assuring Lucy and Rufus that everything was all good, made his way over to Millerson's garage, where the reporters were currently interviewing him.

In a disastrous turn of events, Wyatt ended up having no choice but to shoot Millerson dead, but it turned out that he had already armed the bomb – nevertheless Wyatt was determined he could get them out of the race track in Millerson's loaded car safely. Driving out of a race track and through town in a car containing a pressure-sensitive bomb while being chased by cops wasn't something Lucy thought would end well, but somehow, by some miracle, Wyatt managed to drive them to safety and they made it back into Wendell Scott's garage just out of town. Lucy couldn't believe how Wyatt had managed to save the day like that; on a high from the rush of the car chase, she found herself unable to stop laughing, and Wyatt beamed away, pleased that he had impressed her, and that he had stopped Rittenhouse.

While Rufus set to work diffusing the bomb in Wendell's garage, Wyatt wandered over to Lucy, who was sat on one of Wendell's worktop benches. She was hugging her arms, and shivering slightly. Smiling slightly, Wyatt shrugged off his red jacket and held it out to her.

'Here, put this on,' he offered gently.

'Oh, it's okay,' Lucy said, 'I'm not that cold-'

But with a roll of his eyes, Wyatt moved around to her other side and draped the jacket over her shoulders, his hands lingering slightly on her arms before he let go and sat beside her.

He raised his eyebrows at her. 'Better?'

'Much better,' Lucy admitted, smiling. 'Thank you.'

He smiled slyly back at her, and they gazed at each other for a moment, a knowing look in their eyes. Now wasn't the right moment…not with Wendell and Rufus in the room…but at some point, whether it was today or tomorrow or next week…they would undoubtedly address what had almost happened between them in that cosy trunk of the car today. And it made Lucy's heart race wildly in anticipation.

'I can't believe you got us out of that alive,' Lucy said, awestruck, as she huddled further into his jacket. 'Actually, no, I can. That was incredible back there, Wyatt.'

Wyatt nudged her elbow affectionately. 'Thanks, Lucy,' he murmured.

Smiling at him, Lucy then leaned her head against his shoulder to rest. Wyatt leant his head on top of hers and they stayed sat like that for a while, their fingers touching on the worktop they were sat on, until Rufus announced that he had finished diffusing the bomb. They then bid farewell to Wendell Scott, who was sad to see them go and even offered Wyatt to ride the race track with him – an offer that made Wyatt giddy the whole way back to the Lifeboat.

* * *

A few hours after they had arrived back at the bunker, Wyatt meandered into the kitchen to see Lucy chopping up various vegetables at the counter.

'Your turn to cook again?' Wyatt asked warily.

'Yeah, and no need to sound so worried,' Lucy insisted, throwing him a stern look. 'I'm not gonna give anyone food poisoning.'

'Again,' Wyatt muttered under his breath, and he watched with an amused smile on his face as Lucy stretched up on her tiptoes to try and reach for one of the jars in the top cupboard. 'What do you need?'

'Mayonnaise,' Lucy replied, as she struggled to reach.

Wyatt frowned as he walked over to help her. 'Mayonnaise, really? What are you even making?'

'I…I don't know yet, I just thought mayonnaise would be good,' Lucy said distractedly, unaware of how Wyatt had approached to stand so closely behind her.

Chuckling softly to himself, Wyatt then reached out from behind her, took her hand and helped her reach for the mayonnaise jar. She laughed, heart racing, as together they put the jar down on the counter…but suddenly she wasn't thinking that much about the mayonnaise anymore. Instead she was more preoccupied with Wyatt's hand in hers, their fingers slowly intertwining, and the feel of his warm breath on her neck.

'Tell me something…are you ever tempted to just…stay behind?' Lucy asked softly, breathing nervously as Wyatt's other hand fell on her waist. 'Sometimes? Y'know, like…when these amazing people ask you to join them. I mean, Harry Houdini wanted me to be his partner on stage, and…Wendell Scott wanted to race with you.'

'Yeah, I know what you mean,' Wyatt murmured thoughtfully, his fingers stroking hers. 'But…I dunno…I think I've got it pretty good here.'

Smiling to herself, Lucy slowly turned around to face him, pleasantly aware of how closely they were stood in front of each other and how his arms were keeping her against the kitchen counter. 'That was smooth,' she said teasingly.

'I do try,' Wyatt said, and they both laughed softly before he tilted his head at her, a playful glint in his eye. 'So…the trunk of the car was fun.'

Lucy's lips parted as she smiled, trying to come up with a flirtatious, witty response, but then Wyatt's face was leaning down towards hers and any thoughts of talking were wiped from her mind…

And then Agent Christopher strode into the kitchen. ''Evening,' she greeted, either oblivious or uncaring about what she had just interrupted.

'Oh my God,' Wyatt muttered in disbelief, frustrated, as he let go of Lucy and backed away.

Lucy chuckled. 'No such thing as privacy in this bunker, is there?' she said, turning back to the vegetables on the counter.

'Err, Lucy, why don't you let me take over?' Agent Christopher offered pointedly, exchanging a glance with Wyatt. 'You've been through enough today, I'll cook.'

'Oh…oh, well if you're sure,' Lucy replied hesitantly. 'but it's okay, I don't mind-'

'I'm sure. You two get some rest. Put some TV on or something,' Agent Christopher suggested, taking over by the chopping board.

Smiling warmly at her, Wyatt held his arm out to Lucy and led her over to the lounge, where they stuck the antique TV set on and looked through the old selection of movies the bunker had on video.

'How about _Bonnie and Clyde_?' Wyatt suggested, holding out a copy of the 1967 film with a twinkle in his eye and a smirk.

Lucy grinned. 'Sounds perfect to me.'

And so Wyatt stuck the video in and went over to sit beside her on the couch, giving Lucy a tender smile before they turned their attention to the movie based on their old friends from so long ago.

* * *

It was only a few days later when the team next took the Lifeboat out; the Mothership had travelled to January the 2nd, 1941, in Los Angeles. Lucy managed to get a clue from Flynn in jail, which led them to where the sleeper agent might be hiding in plain sight – the Paramount Pictures movie studios.

Luckily, there were no security tags so Lucy, Wyatt and Rufus were able to sneak into the lot unseen…at least, until they were stopped by a passing security guard, who was eyeing them with a suspicious frown.

'See some ID,' he barked at them.

'Oh. Um, well…we already checked in with the guy at the gate,' Lucy replied to him airily, putting on a dazzling smile.

'Yeah,' Wyatt said.

The guard was unimpressed. 'I _am_ the guy at the gate.'

'Right. I meant the other guy at the…other gate,' Lucy clarified awkwardly.

The guard stared at her and then glanced at Wyatt, who was gazing at Lucy with an adoring smile on his face. She looked so amazing in her blue dress and red hat and gloves.

'Nice try. Come with me,' the guard said sharply.

But before he led them away, Rufus spontaneously decided to declare that he was Langston Hughes, here for an appointment to see the president of the studios, Barney Balaban. After a great deal of persuasion and unconvincing acting from the team, the security guard reluctantly escorted them to the president's office, where Mr Balaban's secretary frowned in confusion.

'I'm sorry, Mr. Hughes, but…I don't have a meeting scheduled for you,' she said bluntly.

'That's what I thought,' the security guard muttered, but before he could force them to leave, Rufus held up his hand and removed his hat.

'Wait. I'm writing a comedy musical based off of my book, 'The Ways of White Folks.' These are the white folks,' Rufus said enthusiastically, gesturing Lucy and Wyatt beside him, who exchanged startled looks. 'Brilliant actors, the both of them. The next Bogey and Bacall.'

'Bogey and who?'

'Fairbanks and Pickford,' Lucy corrected Rufus, forcing a smile which only grew when she saw the alarmed expression on Wyatt's face.

Somehow, they managed to persuade President Barney Balaban to see them – Rufus's alter-ego certainly helped – and they got settled on his office couch, Wyatt's knee pressed against Lucy as he sat on the edge beside her, while they tried to find out if Balaban had heard of Rittenhouse. They were then interrupted by none other than famous actress (and scientist) Hedy Lamarr, who had come to complain about the writing quality of the newest picture she was due to star in.

Balaban immediately leapt at the opportunity to introduce her to his refreshingly unusual guests. 'This is Langston Hughes and actors from his newest musical,' he said, as the three of them stood up from the couch and Lucy made a corny jazz-hands gesture.

'Logan and Preston,' Rufus said, inclining his head at the two of them, and Lucy smiled; she liked how that sounded.

' _Right_ , Logan and Preston!' Balaban said eagerly.

After a quick conversation with Hedy Lamarr, during which Wyatt watched Lucy amusedly as she fawned over the iconic star, Hedy then left, telling Balaban that she would see him at Beverly House later that evening. The moment she had exited the office, Balaban then received a phone call with the worrying news that 'RKO 281' had been stolen – Lucy knew this to be the code name for the film 'Citizen Kane', which had been shrouded in secrecy and which there had been only one copy of. Lucy had never known it to have gone missing, however she did remember reading that William Randolph Hearst, who owned dozens of newspapers with over 20 million readers, had strongly disliked the movie due to it being about him and his mistress. Lucy therefore suggested that they should investigate Hearst at the party tonight that Hedy Lamarr and Barney would be attending at Hearst's Beverly Hills mansion.

As they would be in a mansion filled with glamorous movie stars, the team were left with no choice but to break into the studios' costume department to steal some fancy outfits for tonight's grand event. Wyatt quickly found a dashing black tuxedo to change into, but for Lucy it was harder – there were so many stunning dresses to choose from. Wyatt offered to help but Lucy wanted it to be a surprise…and eventually she found the one.

After hastily curling her hair and touching up her face in the hair and make-up department next-door, Lucy then emerged, dressed in a flowing Greek goddess white chiffon gown, with stepped gold sequin belting and bodice decoration. Wyatt's mouth popped open as he finished adjusting his bow tie and saw her reflection in the mirror.

'W-wow,' he murmured, in awe, as she walked up to him, and he smiled as she stumbled slightly in her high heels. 'You clean up nice.'

Lucy smiled as she looked him up and down. 'You don't look so bad yourself.'

'Woah, where did you get that?' Rufus blurted out from the corner of the room, also in an elegant suit.

'I think it's the one Katharine Hepburn wore in _The Philadelphia Story_. It's one of my favourite old movies. And it fits!' Lucy replied excitedly, beaming away.

Rufus grinned at her. 'Well, it looks great on you!'

All Wyatt could do was simply gaze at her, hoping that his smile was enough to show Lucy that he believed 'great' was an understatement by far. She was breathtakingly beautiful.

The sun had set by the time they sneaked back out of the costume department, and they quickly called a cab, which took them out of the studios and over to Hearsts' Beverly Hills mansion. The mansion was splendid; surrounded by fountains and gardens and twinkly lights, and, of course, filled with the most incredible people. On their way inside, they came across Hedy Lamarr again, who eagerly dragged Rufus away to talk about his poetry, still thinking he was Langston Hughes. This left only Lucy and Wyatt to enter the throng of the party together.

Wyatt gave Lucy a dashing smile as he held his arm out to her. 'Shall we, ma'am?'

Lucy smiled back and linked her arm with is and together they walked in arm-in-arm, trying to radiate an air of confidence, to look as if they belonged there amongst these people. After all, they were the new musical duo, Logan and Preston.

'Own it, Lucy. We've gotta own it,' Wyatt whispered to her encouragingly as they strode into the drawing room. 'Powerful famous showbiz couple coming through.'

Lucy felt herself tingling at the casual way in which he referred to them as a couple. It wasn't a big deal anymore for them to do this after all, particularly after all those hidden moments that had been interrupted so many times over the past few weeks. Wyatt wasn't even sure what was part of their cover and what was real. It felt so natural to act like this, to have his arm around her, to appear like a couple. He wanted it to be real.

Rufus soon returned with Hedy, who it turned out had worked out that Rufus wasn't Langston Hughes, but luckily, instead of turning them in, she wanted to help them recover 'Citizen Kane' from Hearst. Hedy promptly offered to introduce them all to Hearst, but then they witnessed him leaving the party with Lucas Calhoun, the producer at RKO, who was currently working on a new picture about dinosaurs called 'Jurassic Park' – it seemed they had found their mysterious sleeper agent.

The four of them urgently followed Hearst and Calhoun outside the mansion to see them climbing up some steps towards an adjacent building.

Wyatt moved closely to Lucy, his lips at her ear. 'We need to hear what they're saying,' Wyatt murmured to her, his hand on her waist; Hedy raised her eyebrows at their proximity. 'Come on.'

'Okay,' Lucy whispered back, but as the two of them headed towards the steps, they were distracted by the familiar sound of Barney Balaban's joyful voice.

'Hedy, Langston!' he greeted, approaching them all with a bounce in his step, and he eyed Lucy and Wyatt slyly. 'And the next Fairbanks and Pickford!'

'Logan and Preston,' Rufus reminded him keenly, and Wyatt copied Lucy this time as she once again did a cheesy jazz-hands gesture, a forced grin on both their faces.

'Logan and Preston!' Balaban said, laughing, and then he looked around at the crowd on the terrace. 'Who here wants a song?'

There was a loud, enthusiastic cheer from the crowd, and Lucy cried out in protest.

'Oh, no! No, no!' Lucy said, alarmed; she had not been expecting that.

'Uh, no,' Wyatt said firmly, an awkward smile that looked more like a grimace on his face.

'Aw, I thought you two said you were in a musical!' Balaban insisted, clearly not taking no for an answer, and he beckoned the two of them forward, chuckling.

Groaning, Lucy let Wyatt guide her forward with his arm on her waist; they looked back anxiously at Rufus and Hedy – it was up to them now to find out what Hearst and Calhoun were up to – and Lucy put her arm on Wyatt's shoulder for reassurance.

'Well, follow me,' Balaban was saying eagerly as they followed him through the interested crowd back into the mansion. 'Best piano player in town is here – name's Buster.'

'You told me you could sing,' Wyatt said in a low voice to Lucy as they walked on, their arms still around each other. 'You used to be in a band?'

'No, no, no, but I haven't sung since the car accident,' Lucy protested in an anxious whisper.

'Yes, you can. I know you can do this,' Wyatt said, and although his faith in her meant a lot, Lucy was truly beginning to panic now.

Lucy shook her head at him desperately. 'No, I _can't_. You have to go up there with me! We're a duo!'

'No, I cannot sing,' Wyatt said, apologetically but firmly as he squeezed her waist. 'I will blow our cover if I sing, I promise you-'

'Please, you have to-'

But their whispered arguing was cut short as Balaban then leapt up onto a little podium where a grand piano stood waiting in the grand room.

'Excuse me, everyone,' he said in a loud, carrying voice, and the crowd fell silent as Lucy and Wyatt instantly put on forced smiles at the back of their room, both of them wishing they could disappear through the floor at this very moment. 'I'd like to introduce a talented new duo, Logan and Preston!'

Lucy leaned her face against Wyatt's briefly as Balaban pointed to them, and the many glamorous celebrities turned to face them. Lucy felt like her jaw might break from how much she was forcing herself to smile while the crowd applauded, and she found herself laughing in disbelief that this was really happening right now. She had certainly not signed up for this…to humiliate herself in front of all these people.

'Come on up!' Balaban said encouragingly to them.

Their arms still around each other's backs, Lucy and Wyatt slowly began to walk towards the podium through the narrow space where the crowd had parted to let them through.

'Come on,' Lucy said in a falsely bright tone to Wyatt.

'A song!'

'Go ahead, yeah,' Wyatt said to her encouragingly with a forced smile, and he stopped walking and slowly released his hold of her. 'Go.'

'No?' Lucy said desperately, a grimace on her face as Wyatt removed his arm from around her and urged her forward. 'Okay.'

She forced an awkward laugh as she dashed to the front. The crowd were still clapping her. She was going to give Wyatt hell for making her do this.

'Oh, um…-'

'Just one, please?' Balaban said hopefully as he helped her up onto the podium.

Wyatt watched on agitatedly, hating himself for abandoning her like that, but he knew he was right – he couldn't hold a tune to save his life, and if he'd gone up there with her, they would have been found out. It was up to Lucy now. He just hated to see her so terrified and nervous like this. He wished there was something he could do.

Lucy's eyes were wide with fear. 'Just one.'

'For me?' Balaban said, clasping her hand before leaving the podium.

'For you,' Lucy said, her laughter stilted as she cleared her throat and looked out at the crowd. 'So many people.'

The pianist, Buster, gestured for Lucy to take the glass of champagne stood on the grand piano. She took a sip eagerly; she needed some alcohol to get her through this.

'What are we doing?' Buster asked with a kind smile.

'Um…' Lucy paused and cleared her throat, gulping down more champagne as she racked her brains for an old forties song she knew well…and then it came to her. 'Do you know…'You Made Me Love You'?'

'I do,' Buster replied.

'Oh, good.'

'Yeah, G?' Buster asked, playing the note on the piano.

'Sure,' Lucy said, putting her glass of champagne down and wondering why her voice was so light and breezy when she felt like she wanted to scream.

'Okay,' Buster said promptly, and with that he immediately began to play the opening chord of the song.

Lucy looked down at the hem of her dress, afraid to see all those people watching her, including Wyatt, and kept her arm rested firmly on the grand piano to steady herself. She felt like she might faint from nerves.

She took a deep breath and sung – or rather, shrieked – the first two words in a much higher, sharper pitch, ' _You made_ -' But then she cut off and cleared her throat awkwardly. 'Nope, missed it.'

She laughed uncomfortably, and as Buster played the notes on the piano for Lucy once again, Wyatt at the back of the room smiled uneasily at the guests surrounding him, who were already frowning in suspicion at the lady shaking with nerves up at the podium. He could see what they were all thinking; what kind of musical actress gave a rocky start to an impromptu performance?

But then Lucy begun to sing again, and this time, although she was slow, uncertain and rather shaky…at least she was hitting the right notes.

' _You…made…me love you. I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to…do it.'_

Wyatt took a deep breath, relieved that she had got going, and couldn't believe how fast his heart was racing, how nervous he was for her. Lucy looked up from her shoes to the crowd, only then he realised she wasn't looking at the crowd – just him. Only him. In fact, there was an almost angry look in her eyes as she tilted her head in his direction. She was deathly afraid of singing, and she was hating this and all the eyes upon her…she was only doing it because Wyatt had encouraged her, because he somehow believed in her that she could do it. And now it just made it easier for her to sing as if he were the only person in the room, as if the song was only for him – because, after all, in a way it was – and she got a jittery feeling in her stomach as their eyes met across the room before she continued hopefully, her voice ringing out more clearly this time.

' _You made me love you. And all the time, you knew it. I guess you always knew it_ ,' she went on, swallowing slightly as she took in the sight of the crowd. ' _You made me happy sometimes. You made me-_ '

But then she froze, panicked; she had been gazing over at Wyatt for the strength to continue singing, but he had caught her off guard by gesturing encouragingly with his hand and face for her to smile. He was trying to help her through it…and his smile was so adorable…how was he so dashingly attractive?

'Glad,' Buster whispered behind Lucy, his hands paused, waiting, on the piano keys.

'- _Glad_ ,' Lucy continued to sing at once, her voice shaking slightly as she remembered what she was doing, and she continued to gaze yearningly over at Wyatt. ' _And there were times, dear…you made me feel so bad._ '

Wyatt watched her longingly, an irresistible, dazed half-smile on his face, as butterflies settled in both their stomachs at the mere sight of each other. She was so beautiful, in that glamorous dress and her gorgeous hair and red lips and stunning eyes…and her angelic voice. He was mesmerised. And then in the pause that followed, Lucy turned back to the pianist, an unusually playful expression now on her face…because suddenly, just from meeting the tender look in Wyatt's eyes across the room…she knew she could do this.

'Hit it, Buster,' she said to him.

Raising his eyebrows in surprise, Buster then plonked the piano keys in a more upbeat rhythm, and Lucy took a step forward and began to sway in time to the music, her arms moving around enthusiastically.

' _You made me sigh for. I didn't want to tell ya. I didn't want to tell ya_ ,' she went on, an almost theatrical tone to her expression and performance, and in a spur of the moment she reached out and ruffled Balaban's balding head. ' _I want some love that's true. Yes, I do, 'deed I do. You know I do._ '

Wyatt was astonished; the more she was singing, the more she was beginning to evidently enjoy herself, and the smiling crowd was definitely getting into it. He had never seen this confident, playful side of Lucy before. She was a born performer. And she had a talent, there was no denying. Wyatt couldn't help smiling as he watched; all he wanted was for Lucy to be happy, and he could see that she unexpectedly was now, up there on the podium, serenading all these captivated people. It was magical.

' _Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie, gimmie what I'd cry for. You know you've got the brand of kisses that I'd die for_ ,' Lucy continued, her voice reaching an impressively high note.

She sincerely hoped that Wyatt realised she was aiming these lyrics at him. From the cheeky wiggle of his eyebrows and awestruck smile, she guessed so. He was absolutely amazed.

' _You know you made me love…you know you made me love…_ ' Lucy went on, pointing and winking at random people in the crowd, but then on the last line of the song her cheesy grin faded and her voice grew softer as her eyes settled back on Wyatt, for he was the only person she could see right now. ' _You know you made me…love…_ -'

Wyatt's gaze met hers, and as she paused for a moment that felt like an eternity, time stood still, and everything fell into place. And it was then when he realised that Lucy was singing to him.

'- _You…_ '

Her eyes never left his as she sang the last note, and she took his breath away. Lucy and Wyatt barely noticed as the enthusiastic applause broke out around them once the pianist had played his final chord; they were too busy gazing at each other in wonder, stunned by the moment that had just passed between them.

She had made it no secret that she was quite literally singing her heart out to him. And his face said everything. First there was surprise…and then a hint of a dazed smile appeared that made her heart soar. In that smile she knew that he had understood; he knew from the way she had looked at him during her performance that she loved him. And, watching her and listening to her just then, it had made Wyatt realise something else that he had probably known for a very long time: he was completely and hopeless in love with Lucy Preston.

They had been holding back for too long. But now, at last, Wyatt knew for sure. And tonight, he was going to tell her. He was going to tell her how he felt. After all, she had practically beaten him to it with that incredible song. But it was his turn now. Tonight, it would finally happen. Tonight was their night.


	27. The Night at Hedy Lamarr's Guest House

**This chapter continues 2x03 - this episode will be concluded in the next chapter!**

* * *

Lucy still looked rather dazed as she stepped down the podium, and she watched blankly as all the enthusiastic party guests approached her, still clapping away. She was overwhelmingly relieved that it was over, but for some reason still shaking – though perhaps this was because she was aware that Wyatt hadn't taken his eyes off her since she had finished the song. She made her way back through the crowd, forcing a smile at everyone throwing compliments at her as she passed, and then froze as she saw Wyatt stood right in front of her, having crossed the room to meet her in the middle.

Lucy stared at him for a moment, her heart racing, and then swallowed nervously. 'I did it!' she said, and her smile was genuine this time.

'Yes, you did,' Wyatt said, a proud tone to his voice, and he smiled warmly at her, exhaling deeply. 'Lucy, you…you were amazing.'

'I think that's a _bit_ of an overstatement,' Lucy protested, laughing incredulously as she blushed.

'I'm serious. C'mon, shall we go somewhere a bit more private?' Wyatt suggested, suddenly aware of how everyone in the crowd was staring at the two of them.

'Oh, o-okay…'

He put his arm around Lucy's waist and guided her out of the mansion onto the dark garden terrace. There were three other people on the other side of the patio, but other than that it was empty and rather secluded…just how they both wanted it to be. Lucy smiled at Wyatt nervously as she leaned against the patio railings; why was he gazing at her like that?

'I liked your song choice,' Wyatt then murmured gently.

Lucy's heart skipped a beat. 'Y-you did?'

He simply smiled at her, and then reached out to tuck a loose front strand of her hair behind her ear. Lucy's breathing was rather shaky as they gazed into each other's eyes, and then a hint of a smile appeared on her face as Wyatt slowly began to lean in… -

'Hey, there you are!'

Both Wyatt and Lucy groaned and backed away from each other exasperatedly as Rufus came hurrying up to them. They'd almost forgotten that the whole point of them being here was to investigate Hearst.

'Did you find out anything?' Lucy asked urgently as he reached them on the terrace.

'Yeah, I did, couldn't have done it without Hedy,' Rufus replied, and then he smirked at them. 'But more importantly – did you guys sing?!'

'Lucy did. Solo,' Wyatt replied, and his expression was suddenly defensive as they both tilted their heads at him. 'I'd have ruined it if I'd gone up there as well!'

Rufus stared at him in disappointment. 'You coward. How'd it go?' he asked Lucy.

'I…it was okay,' Lucy replied modestly. 'I enjoyed it in the end.'

'She was incredible. Blew everyone away,' Wyatt said, and he gave Lucy a dashing smile that made her let out a nervous giggle.

Unfortunately, their smiles soon disappeared as Rufus then told them what he and Hedy Lamarr had overheard Hearst and Calhoun saying. It seemed that Calhoun had given Hearst 'Citizen Kane' on the condition that Hearst give him a weekly column in his highly influential newspaper. Rittenhouse would then be able to print their own propaganda in Hearst's papers, and thus rewrite history as it happened by controlling all information.

They were due to make the exchange at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning on Stage 14 at the lot, and so Lucy and the others were forced to reluctantly conclude that there was nothing they would be able to do now until tomorrow morning during the exchange. Deciding to see if they could find a hotel to wait it out, the team then left the mansion to find a cab…only to bump into Hedy Lamarr again, who was quick to offer them a ride with her and her 'friend' George in their fancy car.

'You're more than welcome to stay at my villa,' Hedy said eagerly as they squashed themselves in the back and drove on, and the team exchanged wary looks. 'I have a number of guest rooms. Not to mention a luxury guest house for two – many of my dear friends have used it before. They call it 'the honeymoon suite'.'

It took a moment for Lucy to realise that Hedy was addressing her and Wyatt, and giving them both a sly look. Of course; she had assumed they were a couple. These days, who didn't? Wyatt raised his eyebrows at Hedy, amused, but didn't remove his arm from the back of Lucy's seat.

'Oh-oh, that isn't necessary,' Lucy said, breaking out in embarrassed laughter.

Wyatt laughed as well. 'No, we're good. But thank you.'

'The, uh, normal guest rooms sound good though,' Rufus said hopefully, casting Lucy and Wyatt an awkward glance.

'Of course,' Hedy said, a gracious smile on her stunning face, and she winked over at Lucy and Wyatt sat opposite her. 'If you two change your mind, the offer still stands. By the way, I'm ever so sorry there's not much room in here, we usually have a bigger vehicle than this.'

'It's all right,' Wyatt reassured her, 'we're used to getting cosy where cars are concerned.'

Lucy elbowed him, her nostrils flaring as she tried not to smile at the memory of that ever so tiny trunk in Wendell Scott's car, and Wyatt smirked, while Rufus simply watched them both with wide eyes.

They arrived at Hedy Lamarr's glamorous, rustic villa not long afterwards, and as they got settled in the main lounge, George fixed up some drinks for them all. As they talked over their plan for tomorrow morning, George then revealed that Hedy had an entire room devoted to her inventions – after all, she was a brilliant scientist.

'Would you like to see what George and I have been working on?' Hedy asked, touched by Rufus's enthusiasm.

'She says that as if you actually have a choice,' George said, a fond grin on his face; he was clearly infatuated with her. 'This way.'

Rufus got up to follow Hedy and George out of the room; Lucy turned to follow as well, but Hedy stopped her with a firm look.

'You two lovebirds make yourself at home,' Hedy said, and Lucy's smile froze on her face; she was rather shocked.

Wyatt gave Hedy an irritated look – when would other people stop interfering? – and glanced over at Lucy, mortified…but was relieved to see that Lucy seemed genuinely amused rather than horrified by the comment. Even Hedy Lamarr, after not much time spent with in their company, had picked up on the special spark between them. As Hedy and George led Rufus away, Lucy gave Wyatt an embarrassed smile. He took a swig of the whiskey George had offered him, and as their eyes met, Lucy gave a little laugh.

Wyatt chuckled softly. 'Lovebirds?' he said, smiling at her.

He could vividly remember that eventful evening last year when Clyde had called them 'lovebirds' all those months ago. Wyatt had been annoyed at the time…but he actually quite liked the sound of it now. Judging from Lucy's casual shrug and unbothered smile, he guessed that she liked the sound of it too, and why wouldn't she? They both knew they would be good 'lovebirds' – besides, they practically already were.

'Cheers,' she said softly, raising her glass.

Wyatt clinked her glass with his own. 'Cheers,' he murmured, gazing at her like he had never seen anyone more beautiful in his life.

Lucy couldn't stop smiling. Here they were, finally alone, with nothing left to do apart from wait for the time to pass until they had to leave to stop the exchange tomorrow morning. The exchange was hours and hours away. They had all night.

Lucy looked down as she found herself blushing. 'Is it me or is it a little warm in here?' she said, taking a large gulp of her whiskey.

'You wanna get some air?' Wyatt asked, smiling.

'Hmm,' Lucy replied, distracted slightly by the pleasant sight of Wyatt slowly removing his tux jacket. 'I'll just get these damn heels off, I can barely walk in them.'

Wyatt chuckled as Lucy bent down to remove her painful shoes. When she looked up she saw that he'd also undone his top buttons and his bow tie, and left it hanging around the collar of his tight-fitting shirt. He looked so attractive that it rendered her temporarily speechless for a few seconds before she straightened up and led the way towards the patio door with a nervous smile.

There was a light cool breeze when they stepped outside into the night, but otherwise the temperature was quite pleasant. The garden was lit up, and a large swimming pool awaited them temptingly. Lucy smiled to herself; it was so peaceful and quiet out here, with the sound of the cicadas serenading them. It was such a gorgeous night. The long hem of her dress dragged around her feet as they slowly walked towards the pool side by side, carrying their drinks, and Lucy tried desperately to concentrate on not tripping up, rather than focus on how nervous she was. She had made the first step with Wyatt so many times before now – either with attempted kisses that had been interrupted, or, most recently, confessions of love in the form of a song – but now she was terrified. Because nothing seemed to be stopping them now. They were alone. They had all night. Anything could happen.

'So how long have George and Hedy been together?' Wyatt asked her as they strolled down the steps towards the pool.

'They're not – just friends,' Lucy replied, and she laughed softly at the sceptical look on Wyatt's face. 'George is Hedy's inventing partner, and he's a…talented composer. You know, their idea for frequency hopping came from George's knowledge of player pianos.'

They had stopped walking now, and were stood looking out at the pool. It was so romantic. Lucy drank more of her whiskey as she felt her heart rate steadily begin to increase.

'You know, he doesn't really look at her like an inventing partner,' Wyatt said, an almost playful tone to his voice, and Lucy shook her head, amused.

'George has a huge crush on her,' Lucy said, and she chuckled. 'As most men do, but…George was married when they met, so…'

'Bad timing,' Wyatt said sympathetically, sighing; he and Lucy had certainly known their fair share of that.

Lucy nodded as she took another swig of her drink. 'Of course, Hedy's into taller men, and George is…shall we say vertically challenged.'

'Mm, ouch,' Wyatt said, amused, as he finished off his whiskey. 'Poor guy never had a shot.'

'Nope,' Lucy said, and as they both laughed Wyatt reached out to take her empty glass for her. 'Mm, thank you.'

'Yup,' Wyatt said, putting both their glasses on a table at the side of one of the deck chairs; when he went back to stand next to her, he took a deep breath. 'Well, you know, uh…some men find a beautiful woman with brains intimidating.'

Lucy looked at him and frowned. 'Well, Hedy just wants to be respected.'

'Mm, I wasn't talking about Hedy.'

He didn't look at her as he said it – he was too nervous – but he could see in his peripheral vision that Lucy hadn't taken her eyes off him. Her heart was pounding uncontrollably.

 _This is it. It's going to happen. This is real._

Her eyes widened as he slowly turned his face to look at her then, and she knew just from his eyes what he meant.

'You find me…intimidating?' Lucy asked sceptically.

Wyatt then frowned at her in mock confusion. 'Oh, no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…you,' he said awkwardly, and he began to laugh. 'Sorry.'

'Oh, oh,' Lucy said, flustered, and she forced a laugh, even though she wanted to yell at and shake the idiotic man beside her. 'Oh, okay.'

He could see that she was mortified, and he hated himself for it. Why did he keep chickening out? Why did she turn him into this nervous, awkward, bumbling mess? The last time he had felt like this, he had been getting down on one knee to propose to Jessica. That seemed such a long time ago now. So much had changed.

Wyatt laughed then at how gullible Lucy was. 'Come on,' he said, embarrassed that his joke had gone wrong.

She frowned at him innocently. 'What?'

'I just mean that you're not…hideous,' Wyatt said, grinning, and he immediately regretted the words as he took in the expression on Lucy's face.

'Oh, not hideous, wow,' Lucy said, baffled, and as he rolled his eyes, she laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation – this was certainly _not_ how she had hoped this conversation would go.

Wyatt was furious with himself – why was this so hard? 'Oh God, just…would you – come _on_ , you-' he spluttered, exasperated.

'Just…keep it coming,' Lucy went on teasingly, incredulous and amused, and she laughed at the look on Wyatt's face; it was always good entertainment to see him rattled up in this way.

Wyatt chuckled softly, shaking his head at himself. 'You know you're beautiful, all right?' he said.

Lucy stopped laughing and looked back up at him. He was being serious. The tender smile and loving gaze in his eyes was too much for her to cope with, and Lucy glanced away back out at the pool, an embarrassed smile on her face. She didn't know how to respond.

'What?' Wyatt said, bewildered, as he let out a soft laugh; how could she dismiss that?!

Lucy hesitated. 'I don't really think of myself that way,' she replied honestly. 'I've always seen myself as more of a nerd.'

Wyatt raised his eyebrows. 'I doubt that.'

'No, I'm serious, I skipped my prom to attend a speech and debate tournament,' Lucy said earnestly. 'I regret nothing.'

Wyatt considered her for a moment, bemused. 'That's pretty nerdy,' he admitted.

'I know!' she agreed, laughing. 'I'm aware.'

It was so nice to see him laugh like this. In the first few months of knowing him, Lucy had rarely ever seen Wyatt smile, or crack a joke. But now he was teasing, he was affectionate, he was beaming away…and it made her happier than anything just to see him laugh. She bumped his shoulder affectionately as she looked back out at the pool, and Wyatt turned to face her, biting his lip. Every little thing Lucy told him about her only made him want her more.

'I bet in high school you were…popular, who had all the girls lined up around the block,' Lucy said teasingly, and Wyatt gave a reluctant chuckle. '"Hey, ladies."'

He eyed her sceptically and laughed; she was too adorable for words. 'Uh…actually, I got caught…drinking on campus and barred from the prom,' he replied. 'I was kind of lost back then.'

Lucy nodded, pleased that he had recently been opening up to her so much about his troubled past. The playful atmosphere between them had faded now, and the way Wyatt was gazing at her…it just melted Lucy's heart.

'You saved my life, you know,' he said, a tender smile on his face.

It was no exaggeration; he had once thought he'd lost everything. But after meeting Lucy, it had all changed for him. She helped him see what was important. She showed him that it was possible to get a second chance at love. And she understood him completely.

'Which time?' Lucy asked, amused. 'The Alamo? Watergate? I'm losing count.'

'Oh, my God, that is _not_ what I meant,' Wyatt said exasperatedly, as she grinned playfully at him.

He was frustrated – amused but frustrated. And so nervous. Did he really have to spell it out for her? After all those stolen moments, those lingering looks, those almost-kisses…she still wasn't sure how he felt?

Wyatt's smile faded then and he took a moment before next speaking. 'You know why I took this assignment?' he asked, and Lucy shook her head. 'Because it was dangerous. After Jessica died, I just sorta…sorta stopped caring, you know. But not anymore.'

Lucy nodded slowly, taking in his words and feeling surprisingly calm about them. The way he'd smiled and gazed at her as he said, 'But not anymore'…it made Lucy feel relaxed in a way. Because this was so right. She could feel everything shifting between them as he spoke, and it didn't make her scared anymore. She had made him feel again. And he had made her love in a way that she hadn't even known was possible.

Lucy sighed heavily. 'When I was with my mother and…I thought you were dead, I…I felt the same way,' she murmured, gazing up into his eyes.

A small smile on his face, Wyatt then slowly turned towards her, glancing at her lips and taking a few steps closer as his eyes then burned into hers, before asking the question he had wanted to know the answer to for so long.

'Now?'

He said it so softly, so lovingly, with that beautiful smile, and Lucy couldn't tear her eyes away from his. She was lost in him. And yes, she was nervous. But she was also internally giddy with excitement. He was stood so closely to her. _So_ close.

'You heard the song I sung, right?' Lucy murmured, taking a step towards him; they were merely an inch apart now.

Wyatt's curious frown disappeared as he smiled. 'Loud and clear.'

Lucy smiled back at him, wanting to savour the moment. Before, they had been uncertain about whether the other wanted to take that step…whether it was too risky, whether the feelings were fully reciprocated…but now they had let their walls down, and there was a delicious sense of anticipation in the air as they gazed at each other.

And then Wyatt rested his hand against her cheek…and Lucy reached up to hold his arm…and all they could see and feel was each other as they slowly leaned in…their faces getting closer and closer…

Their noses had only just touched when someone cleared their throat nearby.

Lucy and Wyatt leaned away from each other at once with a roll of their eyes, and turned to see George hovering awkwardly by the patio door behind them.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows at him. 'Can we help?' he asked pointedly, removing his hand from Lucy's cheek; they had been in their own little bubble before, but now someone else was here, the magic of the moment had vanished.

'S-sorry to interrupt, it's just, uh, Hedy wanted me to let you both know that the guest house is all set up,' George replied, pointing to the adjacent building outside. 'But your friend Rufus is in one of the guest rooms here if you'd prefer separate-'

'The guest house is fine,' Lucy said, to Wyatt's surprise. 'Thanks, George.'

George raised his eyebrows at them. 'Shall I tell the others you say goodnight?'

'That would be great. And hey, George – no interruptions, please,' Wyatt said, and Lucy's lips twitched as George nodded in understanding and backed away back into the villa.

Once the patio doors had slid shut behind him, Lucy and Wyatt turned back to face each other. Wyatt had a dazed smile on his face. Forcing herself to tear her eyes off of him, Lucy then turned wordlessly and began to lead the short way towards the guest house. Wyatt followed, unaware of her racing heart, her shaking hands, her deep breathing.

The door creaked as Lucy pushed it slowly open and stepped through into the guest house, her hands behind her back as she looked around admiringly at the grand yet cosy bedroom. The lighting was dim, with only a few wall sconces, but there was a fire cracking in the hearth. It was perfect.

'Mm,' she murmured, taking a deep breath as she walked tentatively across the room, a sense of anticipation and longing hovering in the air between them.

She swallowed as she heard Wyatt shut the door behind them. Lucy wanted this – she had never wanted anything more, in fact – but she couldn't deny that her nerves were starting to get the better of her. She had never been in love before, not really, and she was trusting Wyatt with something she couldn't control – her heart. And it terrified her.

Lucy stopped when she reached the double bed and stared nervously down at it, her heart pounding as she frantically began to overanalyse what was about to happen. Wyatt watched her from behind, noticing that she was trembling. She needed him to take the first step this time.

And so, slowly but surely, Wyatt walked up to her, and reached out to hold her arm. Lucy's heart skipped a beat at his gentle touch, and his hand slowly moved down, almost like a caress, before squeezing it. He then turned Lucy towards him, and she looked at him for the first time since entering the room. Her lips parted as if to say something, but his smouldering gaze left her completely speechless.

She could see, just from taking in his heart-stopping expression, that Wyatt wasn't nervous in the slightest. He wasn't overthinking or worrying about what would happen, or what would change. He was sure of one thing, and that was Lucy. And so there was no hesitation as Wyatt sidled confidently up to her, closing the distance between them in merely a few seductive steps while his eyes flickered longingly to her lips. He looked as if he wanted to devour her, and it was this that made Lucy certain as her eyes also glanced down at his lips before meeting his lustful gaze once more, her face nearing his.

Leaning down, Wyatt's nose touched hers softly, their foreheads against each other's, before he leaned away slightly just to look into her eyes. He was so affectionate, so gentle…and all he wanted to do was cherish and love the amazing woman stood before him right now. Wyatt then rested his hand under Lucy's chin, and pulled her face closer…and their lips met halfway in a tender, loving kiss.

Overwhelmed with happiness, Lucy took another step closer to him and moved her hand up to caress his cheek as she kissed him back earnestly, deepening the kiss by opening his mouth with her tongue. They were completely consumed in each other. They had both wanted this for so long…and it was finally happening.

Lucy then broke apart from him, wanting to look into his eyes and remember this moment forever, and Wyatt gazed yearningly at her lips, stunned by how passionately she had kissed him back. They both let out an identical deep breath, surprise on both their faces as they stared at each other in wonder.

 _Wow._

There was a beat as they simply looked at each other, trying to discern if this was indeed real and not a dream, Wyatt's gaze flickering between her eyes and her lips, relishing the intimacy of this pure, loving moment. As Lucy stared into his eyes, realising that he did truly want this as well, that after all this time he had fallen for her just as she had fallen for him, a small, dazed smile appeared on Wyatt's face. He was in love and completely besotted, and, even though they had locked lips before under a false pretence in front of Bonnie and Clyde, this felt like their true first kiss, and it was beyond magical. He was overwhelmed by how perfect this was, by how amazing it had felt just to be kissed like that by her, by how much he loved her.

Lucy gazed back at him, enamoured by that loving smile on his face…and then suddenly there it was. That lightning bolt from the heavens. She had finally found it. And Wyatt had found it again too, in this beautiful woman gazing at him. Lucy didn't have to be afraid anymore…because the longer they stared at each other, the more certain they were. And in that moment, as everything clicked, Lucy stopped thinking and let go. And she did the only thing she yearned to do – she flung her arms around Wyatt's neck, and pulled him in for another kiss.

Wyatt wrapped his arms fiercely around Lucy as he kissed her back with enthusiasm, clinging her closer to him so that there was no space between them. Their lips clung to each other as he spun her around, towards the bed, his hands crawling up her neck and in her hair. With fumbling fingers, Lucy undid his trouser braces and hastily popped open his shirt buttons, her hands clinging to his toned bare chest as Wyatt's lips explored her neck. They began to laugh in between kisses as Wyatt struggled to undo Lucy's dress, but eventually he found the zipper, and the shimmering gown fell down at her feet as she unbuckled his trouser belt. Breaking apart only to whisper Lucy's name and cup her face, gazing down at her adoringly, Wyatt then backed her slowly, tantalisingly up against the bed, the look in her eyes captivating as he brought her lips passionately back to his. And then he gently lay her down on the bed, the rest of what little clothes remained slowly coming off as they melted into each other's arms and became one in a night both Lucy and Wyatt knew they would never ever forget.


	28. The Dawn Before The Phone Call

**This chapter concludes 2x03 and also includes the beginning of 2x04! (Sorry in advance for the angst)...Still waiting anxiously to hear whether Timeless has been renewed for Season 3 after that spectacular finale last night...fingers crossed!**

* * *

When Lucy woke up the next morning with a smile on her face, she was pleasantly dazed to see that Wyatt's bare arm was curled around her. She slowly turned around underneath the duvet to face him; he looked so peaceful in sleep. And so beautiful. She moved her hand up to caress his arm, his shoulder…she couldn't get enough of him. She was so blissfully content, and she couldn't imagine this feeling ever going away. It was wonderful.

As Lucy stroked his hair and cheek, like it was the most natural thing in the world, Wyatt's eyes slowly flickered open. He smiled lovingly at her. Her lips were no longer ruby red – Wyatt had kissed all that lipstick away – and her hair had tumbled out of their elaborately pinned curls. And she was gorgeous, and in his arms, her face deliciously close to his, and gazing at him like he was her whole world. He couldn't believe how lucky he was.

'Good morning,' Wyatt murmured to her, clearly still tired as he gave her waist an affectionate squeeze.

'Good morning,' Lucy replied, stroking his arm again, and they took a moment to simply gaze and smile at each other, overwhelmed by how happy and in love they were. 'Was last night…okay?'

Wyatt didn't understand how she could ask that question, and particularly in such a tentative tone. Was she afraid he hadn't enjoyed it…or regretted it somehow? He sincerely hoped that wasn't the case…but he also didn't want to scare her away by gushing about the strength of his feelings. They couldn't rush this. They had to take their time so it could be perfect…because _this_ , their blossoming relationship, simply being with each other right here right now…this was special.

'It was great,' Wyatt reassured her, a sly smirk on his face, and Lucy chuckled softly.

'No, I mean, you know…' Lucy said, giving a playful wiggle of her eyebrows as she reached out to stroke his hair again, 'technically, we're, uh, co-workers.'

'Mmm.'

'Is this an HR issue?' she asked teasingly.

'Well, we don't really have to, uh, announce it to everyone,' Wyatt said softly, matching her flirtatious smile as his face leaned closer to hers. 'We can just let it be our little secret, till we're ready to-'

But then there was a click as the front door to the guest house door opened, and Wyatt looked over his shoulder to see Rufus stood in the doorway; his jaw had dropped, and he was staring at his two team members, gob-smacked. He couldn't believe it – Lucy and Wyatt were naked and cuddling each other in bed. Well, it was about damn time.

'-Tell them,' Wyatt finished exasperatedly, slowly removing his arm from around Lucy's waist as he turned to face Rufus.

Rufus had never felt so awkward. 'Ohhh! Yeah. I was looking for both of you,' he said uncomfortably, and Lucy raised her eyebrows at him from the bed. 'Well, here you are. A-and this is me leaving, so…'

He trailed off and left the room awkwardly, the door squeaking as he nervously shut it. Lucy and Wyatt stared at the door for a moment, amused, and Wyatt gave a soft chuckle.

'Busted,' Lucy said playfully.

'Nah. He'll be cool,' Wyatt said casually, turning back to face her, and he was so awestruck by her mesmerising smile that he knew he couldn't wait one more second.

'Yeah,' Lucy agreed, and suddenly his hand was cupping her face and his lips were on hers, and they were back in their perfect little bubble again.

When they broke apart for air, Wyatt raised his eyebrows at her, intrigued by the hunger with which she had just kissed him and clung at his back. 'How much time do we have till we need to set off to the Paramount lot?'

'Enough,' Lucy replied, and they laughed softly as they began to kiss again, completely lost in the gloriousness of each other.

* * *

Hedy Lamarr was patiently waiting for them with Rufus in her car half an hour later – she had agreed to give them a lift to the Paramount Pictures studios, as she was needed on set that day for filming anyway. She wiggled her eyebrows and clicked her tongue as Lucy and Wyatt eventually emerged, their hair slightly messy and their cheeks rather pink, but said nothing. She also chose not to comment on the way the two of them held hands and kept flashing radiant smiles at each other during the car journey to the lot.

When they were dropped off, the team headed instantly to the costume department to return their party outfits from last night and retrieve the day clothes they had stolen the day before. Wyatt and Rufus soon emerged back out into the lot, and waited outside for Lucy to finish getting changed. Wyatt leaned casually against one of the lamppost props, aware of how Rufus was staring at him.

'So how was your night?' Rufus eventually asked in a teasing tone, a huge grin on his face.

'Rufus.'

'Don't worry, I'm not gonna tell anyone,' Rufus said airily. 'Maybe Jiya…not Connor or Agent Christopher. Definitely Jiya.'

'Can you be cool?' Wyatt said, frowning in bemusement at the excited smile on Rufus's face.

'So is this happening? Is it happening?' Rufus asked, sounding hopeful.

Wyatt tilted his head at him. 'Be cool.'

But Wyatt felt like a hypocrite saying that, because he could barely contain his excitement himself. He still couldn't believe what had happened between him and Lucy last night. He felt so happy.

'Totally cool,' Rufus said at once, just as Lucy came hurrying up them.

'Guys, guys, guys. Sorry I'm late,' she said anxiously, flashing Wyatt a nervous smile, and he grinned back at her; she was wearing a pretty dress with a floral pink pattern on it, and she looked stunning as always.

'You stole a new one,' Rufus noted.

'It's my favourite time period,' Lucy explained with a shrug.

The team soon found Hearst and Calhoun for the exchange at Stage 14, as originally planned, but unfortunately they were discovered and a shootout occurred. One of the studio security guards got injured in the fight, and as they hid behind one of the set props to avoid Calhoun's persistent gunshots, Lucy couldn't help but notice the blood spurting out of the security guard's chest as he lay helplessly on the floor, clutching his wound and groaning in agony.

'He's losing a lot of blood,' Lucy said agitatedly, and she took a step forward to rush to the guard's side to try and help, but Wyatt instantly grabbed her by the arm to stop her and held her back.

'Wait, wait, wait,' Wyatt said urgently, and he fixed her with a firm gaze – he couldn't risk her getting harmed in all this, he just couldn't. 'Stay here.'

Lucy gazed back at him desperately as she realised what he was about to do. 'Be careful,' she said in a small, pleading voice.

She had said those words to Wyatt many times, but this time her voice changed, because this time was different from before. It meant something more now. She couldn't lose him.

Luckily, Lucy didn't need to worry; Wyatt managed to shoot Calhoun and retrieve the six reels of 'Citizen Kane'. She just wished they hadn't been forced to leave the poor security guard to his inevitable death as they made their escape. Rufus later returned the film to Hedy Lamarr on the Paramount Pictures lot, while Lucy and Wyatt found a fancy black car nearby to steal for their next mission. After heavy discussion with Agent Christopher and a lot of persuasion from Lucy, the team had agreed that they would try to break Flynn out of jail, by planting the necessary equipment for him in a hidden location of his cell in the empty prison as it currently was now in 1941.

'You sure no one's up there?' Wyatt asked her, as he bent down to hotwire the engine of the car.

'Pretty sure. Prison was just built…I don't think anybody's in it yet,' Lucy replied, smirking at Wyatt sat beside her.

'We got a long drive. No radio. Maybe you could sing us a song,' Wyatt suggested playfully, grinning up at her.

Lucy laughed. 'That was, uh…terrifying,' she admitted.

'You looked like you were having a pretty good time up there,' Wyatt said.

'I did?' Lucy asked, smiling.

'Yeah,' Wyatt murmured, and he straightened up in his seat to face her, leaning his arm around the back of her seat. 'It was, um…it was nice to see you…happy.'

It was way more than nice. All of a sudden, it was all Wyatt ever wanted. And it was bliss just to see her face light up the way it did at his honest, tender words.

'Really?' Lucy murmured.

'Yeah,' Wyatt said softly, and, smiling, he slowly leaned in to kiss her.

His lips had barely met hers when some approaching footsteps coming from behind the car distracted them.

'Hey,' Rufus greeted, oblivious, and Lucy and Wyatt leaned apart at once.

Lucy cleared her throat, amused by the way Wyatt rolled his eyes irritably at the interruption. 'How'd it go?' she asked Rufus, as he got into the backseat of the car.

''Citizen Kane' is in good hands,' Rufus reassured them. 'Also, I still got to agree with Agent Christopher – this is a terrible idea.'

'My thoughts exactly,' Wyatt said, as he continued to hotwire the car.

'Either of you have a better idea? No? Didn't think so,' Lucy said coolly, her lips twitching as she caught Wyatt's eye. 'Let's do this.'

And so they left the Paramount Pictures studio, and, despite it being a number of hours until they reached the prison, the journey was in no way awkward with Rufus. In fact, to Wyatt's surprise, Rufus managed to maintain a 'cool' façade and act like it was no big deal that his two close friends were now more or less officially together. It felt almost natural, like Lucy and Wyatt were already an established couple, and when they stopped for the occasional break, Rufus didn't bat an eyelid as he witnessed Lucy and Wyatt sneak the occasional kiss or hand squeeze; he just grinned excitedly to himself.

Once they had finished their mission and returned to the present day, Lucy and Wyatt didn't get much chance to talk alone – after all, the bunker was very small and there always seemed to be someone there. It wasn't until the next day after a good nights' sleep, when Wyatt 'happened' to walk past the ladies' bedroom and see Lucy alone in the process of finding clothes to wear for the day, that he snuck in, grabbed her by the waist to twirl her around, and press his lips eagerly to hers. She kissed him back as she giggled, wrapping her arms firmly around his neck as they murmured fond greetings to each other. Wyatt then handed her his shirt to wear – it was too big for her, but they both liked the fact that she was wearing it anyway – and together they left for the kitchen, where they made breakfast together like the precious domestic couple they knew they would be.

As the others joined them in the main room of the bunker, Lucy and Wyatt then wandered over to the couches to play a game of checkers and relish in the glorious feeling of being free to just enjoy each other's company…at least until the next time Rittenhouse took the Mothership out. Lucy was awestruck; she had never seen Wyatt beam as much as he was doing now, and all they were doing was playing a board game together.

Agent Christopher arrived halfway through their game, having not seen the team upon their immediate return last night.

'How'd it go?' she asked them.

'Uh…'

Lucy looked round at Wyatt, who was still grinning like a lovestruck teenager. She didn't know what to say. _'It went amazing'… 'me and Wyatt finally hooked up and it was the best night of my life and now I think we're a couple'… 'it was soooo good'…_

But all Lucy could manage was: 'We stopped them.'

'And dropped off the package,' Wyatt said triumphantly, and Lucy smiled.

'I know,' Agent Christopher said heavily…and then none other than Garcia Flynn came strolling into the bunker, dressed casually in jeans and a leather jacket, and looking around the dingy room with a look of distaste.

Flynn scoffed. 'To think I escaped prison for this,' he said, unimpressed.

Lucy looked back at Wyatt; he was glaring up at Flynn, distrusting and full of anger. This was the man who had kidnapped Lucy and threatened to kill her and left her to die numerous times. How could they just let him stay here with them? Wyatt then got up from the couch and stormed past Agent Christopher and Flynn, needing to get Flynn out of his sight as soon as possible.

'Just keep him on a leash,' he said coldly, flashing Flynn a stern look.

Lucy got up from the armchair and hurried after him into the corridor. 'Hey, hey,' Lucy said, and Wyatt stopped walking to look at her; they came to a halt by one of the corridor fans as they stared at each other, reading the other's mind in an instant. 'I know. I know.'

'It's just seeing Flynn here with us…I don't like it,' Wyatt said, frowning.

'I don't like it either. But he's on our side now, and he _can_ help us,' Lucy said earnestly.

'Yeah, he can, but will he? I mean, he's got what he wants, so now what?' Wyatt asked sceptically, clearly agitated.

Lucy was frustrated. 'Now…can we just forget about Flynn for, like, a minute,' she said, putting a hand on her hip, 'because…we have each other? Don't we?'

Wyatt gazed at her, and a warm, loving smile broke out on his face. She was so adorable. Even in all this turmoil, with her mother and her sister and her PTSD and Rittenhouse and now Flynn joining them…and yet despite that, she could still smile away, she could still see the light in all the dark that surrounded them. He couldn't believe how in love with her he was.

'Yes,' he replied, dazed, as the two laughed softly, lost in each other's eyes.

Lucy tucked a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. 'I mean…the other night? It was…' She trailed off, unable to find the words, and worried that she would scare him off…

But then Wyatt took a few steps closer to her. 'It was pretty…pretty amazing, right?' he said gently, moving his hands to hold her waist.

Lucy moved closer to him at his touch, beaming away in delight. 'I…that's what I thought too!' she whispered joyfully, laughing.

Her face had lit up gleefully, so overwhelmed with relief and happiness that he felt the same way about that wonderful night, and Wyatt was stunned that she could have believed anything different.

'Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah,' he reassured her earnestly, smiling tenderly at her, as they laughed softly.

'We agree,' Lucy said brightly.

Wyatt squeezed her waist affectionately. 'We do.'

They were in awe of how totally comfortable they were to just hold each other so openly like this, as if they should have been doing it for months. They didn't care if anyone saw them from the kitchen back down the corridor. All they cared about was each other, and the ease with which they could be like this together, and how much they could make each other smile. They hadn't allowed themselves happiness for so long. And now here they were.

'So…' Lucy began hopefully.

'So…?'

'What do we do now?' Lucy asked, biting her lip.

'Well, um…we're already living together, so…that's a pretty big step,' Wyatt said playfully, and Lucy's heart began to race at his words and the adoring grin on his face.

'Yeah,' she said, as Wyatt's cell phone chimed from his jeans pocket. 'We've got…nowhere to go but down.'

'That's right,' Wyatt said, and they both laughed as he pulled out his phone and glanced at his notification…but the laughter died as Lucy realised that Wyatt was frowning at his phone screen. 'What?'

She was gazing at him, yearning for him to focus his attention back to her, so she could kiss his lips like she so urgently needed to do right now. But then Wyatt took a step back, his eyes still fixed blankly on the screen of his cell phone.

'I'll be-I'll be right back,' Wyatt said distractedly, glancing up at her as he backed away.

Lucy was stunned. 'O-okay,' she said, her smile fading, as she watched Wyatt walk away down the corridor. 'Wait, Wyatt?'

But then Rufus called her name from the kitchen, and her attention was reluctantly diverted. It was only a few minutes later, when the alarms began to blare deafeningly around the bunker and they approached the corridor to see that the front door leading to the exit had somehow been opened, that Lucy truly began to worry. Wyatt had broken out of the bunker…and Lucy knew that whatever reason he had for doing such a thing…it couldn't be good news.

* * *

The hours passed slowly. Lucy and Rufus tried calling Wyatt persistently on their phones, but every time it went straight to voice mail. They ate lunch in silence, having exhausted all potential reasons for why Wyatt could possibly have broken out of the bunker in their heated group discussion earlier. There was nothing they could do now but wait for him to return or get in touch…unless Rittenhouse found him.

Lucy felt slightly strange as she took off Wyatt's shirt and put on an old scruffy black jumper instead. She was dismayed by the way that he had just left without a word to her, when the two of them had been right in the middle of discussing the exact status of their new relationship. He had been so happy…laughing away and holding her waist and gazing at her lovingly and talking about living together…but Lucy was haunted by the way his face had fallen when he'd taken a look at his cell phone. Something extremely bad must have happened. Why else would he have taken off like that? She just wished he hadn't abandoned her in that way; he could have at least reassured her that he wouldn't be long but that he had some place to go or something to do. At least then she could have tried to understand why he had broken the rules and left her and the rest of the team.

A momentary distraction then arrived in the form of the blaring alarms, alerting them to the fact that the Mothership had recently landed in Salem, Massachusetts, September the 22nd, 1692 – the height of the witch trials, to Lucy's horror.

'Lucy, try Wyatt again. He needs to get the hell back here,' Agent Christopher said sternly.

'I keep trying,' Lucy said agitatedly, running hurriedly down the corridor towards her bedroom. 'I've called him, like, 20 times!'

She grabbed her cell phone from the table once she was back in her room, and called him once again. She didn't have high hopes, but to her surprise and overwhelming relief, Wyatt picked up after just one ring.

'Lucy,' he answered, his voice strained.

Wyatt was in a dingy hotel room, and had only just managed to get his head in order after trying to process what he had discovered over the past few hours. He was still in shock. It felt like days since he had last seen Lucy. So much had changed since their recent conversation in the bunker corridor this morning. He was so confused, so dazed, so lost. Nevertheless, it was nice to hear Lucy's voice, angry though it was…even though he knew he would have to tell her the truth. He would have to crush everything. But he couldn't lie to her – he had to somehow bring himself to tell her what had happened. And it was going to destroy him.

'Where have you been?' Lucy asked furiously over the phone as she paced around the bedroom, her voice shaking. 'I have been calling you for hours. I'm worried sick-'

'Lucy-'

'- _What_ is going on?' she demanded.

'Lucy,' Wyatt repeated urgently.

'What?' Lucy snapped, impatient.

'Jessica's alive.'

Lucy froze, her lips trembling slightly as her eyes widened in disbelief, and there was a moment as she clutched her cell phone to her ear and felt the possibilities of their future together disappear in an instant. She barely heard Wyatt as he continued to speak in a tremoring voice.

'Somehow…we changed history, and…she's alive again,' Wyatt said heavily, still trying to wrap his head around this shocking fact himself, as he sank onto the bed in the middle of the hotel room.

A long silence followed on Lucy's end of the phone. Wyatt wondered what she was thinking. He could imagine her there in that tiny bunker, by herself, her face an empty mask disguising the pain he was inflicting on her in this very second. He wished he could have done this another way, that he could have told her face-to-face. He wished he could hold her.

Speechless, Lucy slowly sat down on the very bed on which Wyatt had wrapped his arms around her a few weeks ago. The memory was so vivid, and yet also so distant. She could feel Wyatt slipping away from her already. She had felt it since the moment Wyatt had walked away from her in the bunker corridor.

Lucy laughed softly as Wyatt's words finally began to process in her mind – _Jessica was alive_. This was good, right? A loved one no longer dead. Maybe their time-travelling adventures really were a miracle or gift from a higher power after all. But then the ramifications of this fact slowly began to seep once again into Lucy's mind, and her smile faded.

'Uh, that's…I don't…' Lucy trailed off, perplexed by her own juxtaposition of emotions attacking her right now, and she swallowed. 'How is that possible?'

'I don't know. She texted me,' Wyatt replied, and he sounded like he was trying not to choke up. 'I step off the Lifeboat and I get a text from my dead wife.'

There was so much longing and pain in both their voices. Wyatt knew Lucy was happy for him, but a part of him was also trying to give her an opening to say something…to give him a reason to stay with her. They needed to discuss this properly, after all. They couldn't just give up on what they had only just started. But then Jessica was due to arrive at the hotel to see him any minute. His Jessica. His wife, returned from the dead. The love of his life. Only… _was_ she the love of his life anymore? Was he even the same person he had been when they had been married? Was _she_ , for that matter?

'I don't understand, did we change something that…that brought her back?' Lucy asked, confused.

'I don't know, but she's _real_ , Lucy. Her hair is a little different, it's shorter, but her eyes are the same,' Wyatt said yearningly, his mind a conflicted mess as he tried to work through the heart-wrenching memory of this morning, when he had seen Jessica behind the bar.

Wyatt's voice became a distant noise in the background as Lucy stared blankly at the wall in front of her, wishing he would stop talking. _Her eyes are the same_. That was all she needed to hear. She knew what had to be done.

'Last time I saw those eyes she was…dead,' Wyatt murmured, sounding like he might cry, and Lucy closed her eyes as she slowly lay onto the bed. 'But apparently she has lived through six years that I-I don't know anything about. And I guess I wasn't a good husband or something, and…'

He trailed off hopelessly, and the agony and despair in Wyatt's voice made Lucy force herself to say the words that she so desperately didn't want to. 'Well…now you have time to…change all that. Don't you?' she said pointedly, trying to keep her tone bracing, as a single tear fell down her cheek onto the pillow.

The selfish part of Lucy hated herself for doing it, but she knew it was the right thing to do. She had to back off, for her own self-preservation, and for Wyatt's heart and peace of mind. He had a chance now. He had his wife back. And he needed to see if he could reconnect with her and if he could make his marriage work…because he was fiercely loyal, and that was the kind of person he was. Wyatt was the most honourable man Lucy had ever met, so he couldn't abandon his wife now, no matter what the circumstances. Lucy knew that, and he knew that. It wasn't his fault that it was breaking her heart to encourage him to do it.

Wyatt exhaled as he realised that Lucy was pushing him away…like he'd known and dreaded that she would. 'Yeah. Lucy…' he began, but he paused, unable to find the words to convey exactly what he was feeling, and all he could manage was: 'I'm so sorry.'

'Wyatt, I'm thrilled for you,' Lucy murmured, and he could tell that, despite her monotone voice, she was being sincere.

This was far more painful for Wyatt then he had ever anticipated; he'd never thought anything like this would happen. 'Yeah, but you and me…-'

'She's your wife. And you love her,' Lucy said firmly, trying to keep her emotions in check and her voice normal as her eyes began to well up with more tears.

It was easier for her to skip past the topic of 'you and me', to act like what they'd had together the past couple of days had not been much of a big deal. Otherwise, it would be too painful if they dwelled on the lost possibilities of what had been a beautiful start to what Lucy was sure would have been a wonderful, magical relationship. Wyatt nodded slowly at the other end of the phone, trying to be convinced by her words that this was the right thing to do. He so desperately wanted to say, 'But I love you too'…but what good would that do now? It would only make this harder and more agonizing for them both.

'I mean, this is everything that you've wanted, everything that you've been hoping for,' Lucy went on, and Wyatt felt his heart break at the pain he could detect in her low, empty voice. 'This is…this is a good thing. And…now that Jessica's back…'

Wyatt nodded again, pressing his lips together to stop himself from giving in to the tears. He was hanging desperately onto every word Lucy was saying, part of him hoping for some hint from her that this was okay and she would be fine, and the other part of him hoping for her to ask him to fight for her and stay with her instead. But it was too late for that. Lucy loved Wyatt too much to ask that of him, no matter how much she might want to. So all she could do now was give him up…to set him free and push him towards the woman whose death had tortured Wyatt for years. She had seen Wyatt's pain and grief and anger at Jessica's death, at the way their marriage had been cut brutally short…but now he could fix it. And it wasn't even a question that out of the two, Wyatt wanted to be with Jessica, rather than Lucy. Of course he did. It was only natural.

'Yeah,' Wyatt said, in a slightly strangled voice as he clenched his fists.

He hated himself for how much he was hurting Lucy. He hated himself for how torn he was. This wasn't fair. He heard Lucy let out a deep sigh, and he closed his eyes, wishing he could be there to comfort her.

'Um, why did you call? Is everything okay?' Wyatt then asked, trying to change the subject and clearing his throat uncomfortably. 'Did the Mothership jump?'

'No…everything's fine here,' Lucy lied, her voice still empty of any emotion. 'Just focus on figuring things out with Jessica. Take whatever time you need, okay?'

Wyatt's lips parted as he listened to her. She was so selfless, so noble, so kind. And he was losing her.

'I'm sorry,' he said, firmly but gently.

Lucy swallowed loudly as she shook her head and smiled sadly. 'Don't be,' she reassured him quietly.

She then hung up on the phone. Wyatt slowly withdrew his cell phone from his ear, dazed. It had been such an emotional rollercoaster of a day. He had been so happy and lovestruck and giddy around Lucy this morning…and then overjoyed and in disbelief upon reuniting with Jessica in the bar…and now he was in despair. He let out a deep breath, and then buried his face in his hands as he let a tear escape.

He and Lucy could have been so great together…but Lucy had acted like she was completely okay with him going back to Jessica. She hadn't even suggested that they talk about their situation first, and he'd been hoping for some indication that she felt the same way as he did – after all, he knew Lucy cared about him deeply, but did she actually love him as he loved her? Right now, he didn't know whether to believe Lucy's casual act over the phone or not, but either way, he was stunned by how easy she was trying to make this for him…particularly when he knew that she must feel betrayed by him. He had never been sorrier for anything in his entire life. Well, apart from his drunken behaviour and argument with Jessica that had led to her death six years ago. And yet now he had a chance to make up for that, and Lucy had practically led him eagerly to it – he had loved Jessica and lost her. And he was married to her. What choice did he have?

Meanwhile, back in the bunker, Lucy had dropped her cell phone to the floor and was clutching hold of the pillow, cuddling it as she cried silently. She was at least glad that she had taken control of what had happened, that she had broken it off herself – even when it had been the last thing she had wanted to do. In all the time she had known him, ever since their first mission together to the Hindenburg, Lucy had seen Wyatt's pain and guilt over Jessica's death, she had experienced his anger and frustration at his inability to fix it, she had watched the lengths he had gone to in order to try and change history to save her. So of course, now he had a second chance with Jessica, to make things right and live the happy marriage he had once talked longingly about, Lucy had no choice but to give that to him. After all, she loved him, and she wanted to see him happy. She just wished his happiness didn't mean her despair and heartbreak.

As she wiped away her tears, Lucy cast her mind back to the way Wyatt had sat on this very bed and cradled her in his arms.

' _I've lost everything.'_

' _You haven't lost me.'_

Lucy sniffed as another tear fell. How wrong he had been.


	29. Another New Arrival at the Bunker

**This chapter continues and concludes 2x04 :)**

* * *

Wyatt was driving the way back to the bunker, Jessica sat in the passenger seat beside him. In some ways it felt like no time had passed at all since they had last done this. In others, it felt like it had been centuries, or in a dream. It made him flinch to think of how the last time they had been in a car, he'd dumped her at the side of the road.

The past hour since Jessica had arrived at the hotel room to talk to him had passed in a bit of a blur. When she had presented him with those divorce papers and revealed the poor, broken state of their marriage in her own timeline, his heart had sunk…but then a little voice inside told him that this was an easy way out, that he could sign them and go back to Lucy, where his heart now resided…only he knew he couldn't do that. He couldn't give up on the chance this miracle presented.

Wyatt was still rather stunned by what Jessica had told him. It seemed that he had idealised their marriage in his head to such a degree that the reality of it was totally unrecognisable. He had crafted up such wonderful ideas in his head of how beautiful and magical their relationship had been, but in the past hour he had learnt that it was actually the complete opposite, and this was mainly due to the fault of his own lying, unfaithful, neglectful behaviour…or, at least, the behaviour of the Wyatt in Jessica's version of the timeline. Ever since her death, Wyatt had made up an image – a story, even – of a perfect tale of a man and woman blissfully in love, and he had been so convinced by it that he had actually believed it to be true. Yet now Jessica wanted to file for divorce, to break off what apparently was an unhealthy, possessive relationship. Wyatt was so clouded by guilt that he didn't seem to register that that this woman in the car next to him was not the same lovestruck, perfect woman he had envisioned her to be. But that didn't matter – she was still the woman he had loved, the woman he had lost, the woman he had grieved and lost his mind over for six years…and now she was here. And he had to make this right. He _had_ to, or he would never forgive himself.

' _We have to face it, we're not the couple we wanted to be.'...'You have some fantasy of what this marriage is'… 'You're putting us – you're putting me on this pedestal.'…'The whispered conversations that end the minute I come into the room, the partial answers, the half-truths, it's just…I love you. But I can't be married to a state secret.'…_

Jessica's words rang through his head continuously now as Wyatt parked up outside the bunker. The security officer had regained consciousness since Wyatt had knocked him out during his escape, and was glaring at him from the entrance. Wyatt gave him an apologetic glance as he went through and led a wary, sceptical Jessica down the steps into the building. Wyatt knew he ought not to bring Jessica to the bunker – it was against the rules, and selfish of him considering Rufus and Agent Christopher also had families they wanted to see and bring here – but he had to. She wouldn't give them another chance if there were lies and secrets at the centre of what appeared to be a shambles of a marriage. He had to tell her everything. The whole truth.

Agent Christopher was absolutely furious when she saw Wyatt and Jessica emerging down the bunker corridor, as expected. In the argument that ensued, Agent Christopher then revealed to Wyatt that Rittenhouse had somehow brought Jessica back by taking a short trip to San Diego in 1980, meaning that either Jessica was in danger or Jessica _was_ the danger. But Wyatt couldn't listen. All he knew was that his wife was back from the dead. After six years of grief and guilt and self-loathing and rage…she was here. Alive. That was all that mattered. That was all he could focus on right now.

At least…until he realised that the bunker was missing a few people.

'Where are Lucy and Rufus?' Wyatt asked, frowning as he peered around the main room of the bunker, while he left Jessica to fangirl over Connor Mason.

'The Mothership jumped, so they went after them,' Agent Christopher replied, casting Wyatt a dark glance. 'They're at the Salem witch trials, God help them.'

Wyatt's eyes widened in horror as he rounded on her. 'Wh-what?! And you let them go? Without me?' he asked accusingly. 'Even Lucy-?!'

'Yes, Wyatt,' Agent Christopher said irritably, as Jessica walked over to join them at the raise in Wyatt's voice. 'Once again, your failure to grasp that life doesn't stop whenever you're not around is astounding.'

'B-but Lucy and Rufus against a sleeper agent alone without back-up or protection, that's insane-!'

'Flynn went with them,' Agent Christopher said, shrugging.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows sceptically. 'Are you kidding me right now? Lucy's not safe with that psycho-'

'Lucy actually seemed pretty okay with the arrangement,' Agent Christopher interrupted, as she and Jessica frowned suspiciously at him. 'He can protect them.'

'He has tried to kill Lucy _and_ Rufus. Many times,' Wyatt said slowly, glaring angrily at Agent Christopher. 'Or have you forgotten?'

'Of course I haven't forgotten,' Agent Christopher said wearily. 'But we were a little stuck for options – _you_ had abandoned us.'

'Because I'd just found out my wife was alive!' Wyatt snapped.

Jessica held out her hands in outrage. 'Wait, Wyatt, why do you keep saying that?' she demanded, incredulous.

'Jess, j-just give me a minute okay, I'll explain everything soon,' Wyatt said impatiently, frowning at her, 'I need to make sure Lucy and-'

'Look, Lucy trusts Flynn. Do you trust Lucy?' Agent Christopher challenged Wyatt.

'More than anyone,' he replied earnestly. 'But still, she-'

'They'll be fine, Wyatt. You made your decision to leave, so we had to make a call without you. It's too late to change it now,' Agent Christopher said firmly, and she rolled her eyes. 'Quit pouting, they should be back soon.'

Jessica exhaled heavily. 'Well, not that this isn't fun to watch, I'm gonna go see if there's a bathroom in this place,' she said in a dry tone, backing away.

'It's down that way, on your left,' Agent Christopher called after her, pointing the direction.

Once Jessica had walked away down the corridor and disappeared into the grimy bathroom, Wyatt took a step closer to Agent Christopher, the fury gone from his face and replaced with a look of dismay.

'Lucy knew about the Mothership before she called me, didn't she?' he asked her quietly.

'Yes.'

Wyatt closed his eyes in frustration. 'Dammit. She should have told me, she…'

'She cares about you, Wyatt. Clearly she has more of a heart than I do and thought you should be with your wife rather than with us,' Agent Christopher said reproachfully, and she raised an eyebrow at him. 'Though who the hell knows what she'll think when she sees you've brought her here.'

'I…' Wyatt trailed off unsurely, flustered by the look on Agent Christopher's face.

She eyed him sceptically. 'What, you think I didn't notice you two together in the corridor this morning? I was judging you for having an affair, I must admit, but that was before I knew Jessica had been dead in your timeline,' she said.

Wyatt sighed heavily. 'And in your timeline…I've been married to Jessica this whole time?'

'Yes.'

'Do I seem…different now, since we got back from Hollywood?' he asked curiously.

Agent Christopher stared at him, bewildered. 'I have no idea, Wyatt, I've only known this version of you for less than day. Although you do look a little healthier. And sober,' she admitted, and then she tilted her head at him. 'I've never seen you smile before until this morning. I've never seen you the way you were with Lucy.'

'Don't…don't say that, please,' Wyatt murmured, his voice breaking as he shook his head at her.

'I'm only being honest. You hadn't been happy at all since the day I recruited you. But you were happy this morning,' Agent Christopher said softly, a sympathetic smile on her face, and to his astonishment Wyatt felt his eyes begin to well up. 'Seems you have a choice to make.'

'Jessica's my _wife_. She was dead because of me, but now she's alive. I don't have a choice,' Wyatt said desperately, his voice tremoring.

'You're a fool if you really think that. Sort yourself out, Wyatt,' Agent Christopher said, shaking her head at him and turning to leave. 'Get your head together, take some time. Just be ready for the next time the Mothership jumps, you understand?'

Once Agent Christopher had left the room, Wyatt stayed stood there, silently staring into space. It was only when Jessica cleared her throat that he realised that she had emerged from the bathroom and returned to join him. Wyatt blinked rapidly; it was still such a shock to see her just stood there, right in front of him. Alive.

Jessica raised her eyebrows at him, unimpressed. 'You calmed down now?'

'Yeah. Sorry about that,' Wyatt replied, running a hand through his hair as Jessica leant against the couch.

'So, uh…who's Lucy again?' she asked in a would-be casual voice, and Wyatt swallowed.

'Oh, Lucy and Rufus are my co-workers, I mentioned them in the car on the way here, remember? They're who I go on the missions with,' he replied, avoiding her eye contact.

'I didn't ask about Rufus,' Jessica said pointedly, and she forced a smile at him as she watched him carefully. 'You said Lucy's name a lot when you were freaking out back there.'

There was a short silence. Wyatt seemed suddenly fascinated in the floor. Eventually, he forced himself to look up at her, and he sighed heavily.

'Flynn's tried to hurt her before, and she's just a civilian,' Wyatt replied, trying not to sound too obviously airy or casual. 'Y'know, it's not fair, she was dragged into this and it messed her life up. And she's not a soldier.'

'You saying a woman can't defend herself?' Jessica said sceptically, raising an eyebrow at him.

Wyatt frowned. 'That…that is _not_ what I'm saying at all.'

'And that's it? She's just a civilian?' Jessica asked.

'No,' Wyatt replied, after a short hesitation. 'She's my family. Everyone here is.'

And that was all he could say. At least for the time being. He knew he would have to tell Jessica the truth about his and Lucy's brief romantic involvement someday. But not now. Not when the pain of his pride and honour forcing himself to let it go for the sake of his broken marriage was still so raw.

* * *

Lucy had remained blank and empty of all emotion when revealing to Rufus that Jessica was in fact alive. According to the others in the bunker, this was not news at all – they only had experience of this timeline now in which Jessica was no longer dead, after all. Lucy only came out of her robotic state when Rufus revealed that the Mothership had jumped for an hour to San Diego in 1980, changing history to somehow bring Jessica back. The idea that Rittenhouse had saved Jessica's life was unnerving – had they done it to distract or drag Wyatt away? – but they had little time to discuss this unsettling piece of news, as they were needed in Salem, 1692, to prevent Rittenhouse from further disturbing the course of history. Flynn somehow managed to convince Lucy and Rufus to take him in Wyatt's place as their accompanying soldier, and so off they went…a new team. Lucy couldn't help wondering, as they settled into the Lifeboat, whether this would be it from now on. Maybe Wyatt wouldn't want to come back. Maybe he would want to quit and stay with Jessica, as he had every right to do so. Lucy felt a lump rise in her throat at the very thought.

When they arrived in 1692, Lucy and the others quickly found a nearby house, which was luckily empty, and proceeded to raid the small building for appropriate clothes that would fit them. Lucy was struggling to choose a dress out of the ones available – normally Wyatt would help her this sort of thing.

'Hey, uh, Lucy?' Rufus said tentatively, emerging in the doorway, already dressed in his new clothes.

'Yeah?'

Rufus sighed. 'I know you're putting on a brave face, but…are you okay?' he asked, concerned, and when Lucy looked up at him, he closed his eyes; the pain in her face was enough of an answer. 'Sorry, that's a stupid question. I can't believe…I mean, it's just typical, that…don't get me wrong, I don't want Jessica to be dead, I wouldn't wish that on anyone, but…when you and Wyatt were just…it must suck.'

There was a short silence as Lucy tried furiously to control herself.

 _I must not cry. I must not cry._

'Thank you, Rufus,' she murmured, unable to look at him, but genuinely touched by how much he cared. 'But I'll be okay. Really.'

She wished she could sound more convincing. She wished she could believe what she was saying.

Once they were all ready, they set off in pursuit of locating the whereabouts of the Rittenhouse sleeper agent. The whole time, Lucy tried to pretend that she was all right, and to focus her mind solely on the mission. Flynn and Rufus took her lead and went along with her façade that everything was fine, even though they both plainly knew it wasn't. It came as quite a shock to Lucy when Flynn addressed Lucy as his wife when speaking to a local villager. She was horrified; only she and Wyatt pretended to be a couple while on missions. That was _their_ thing.

Lucy felt so lost without Wyatt here…particularly knowing that he was currently with his wife, trying to make amends, trying to win back her love and affection. Hollywood seemed so long ago now. Almost like a dream.

The new team soon discovered that Rittenhouse had come here in order to get Benjamin Franklin's mother hanged at the witch trials, and to make matters even more complicated, Rufus revealed that Jiya had been having visions of troubling future events…and then Carol Preston arrived and accused her own daughter of being a witch. Carol tried to give Lucy a chance to escape by offering her a place back in Rittenhouse, but Lucy dismissed her, saying she would rather hang, and was subsequently escorted to the forest along with the rest of the accused 'witches', with a heavy sort of acceptance that she was about to die…and all because of her mother.

Luckily, however, Flynn managed to save Lucy, Abby Franklin, and the rest of the victims, having finally managed to find a gun and shoot at the crowd, enabling all of the convicted to escape to safety in New Hampshire. Lucy got severely injured in the process, and when they arrived at the Lifeboat, she found it extremely difficult to reach her seatbelt without causing her wounded arm further pain.

Sighing, Flynn leaned forward, reaching out to help her.

'No,' Lucy protested at once.

'It's okay,' Flynn insisted, his voice unusually soft and gentle, and as he proceeded to buckle her into her seat and talk to her about the days' events, Lucy felt her face crumple slightly.

It was Wyatt's job to help her with her seatbelts. Only Wyatt. Ever since their second mission well over a year ago, it was what he had always done. It felt so wrong for someone else to do it, refreshing though it was to see Flynn in a new, comforting light.

'Let's go home,' Rufus murmured, once Lucy and Flynn were both buckled in. 'I'm starting to miss Wyatt.'

Lucy's heart sank at the mention of his name, and looked around at Rufus. _Starting_ to? Was she so helpless and pathetic to have been yearning for Wyatt so much during this whole day?

Rufus had barely mentioned Wyatt at all throughout their mission…only to voice his sympathies over the awkward situation Lucy had been thrown into. 'I can't pretend to know what you're going through with Wyatt off with Jessica,' he had said, merely a couple of hours ago. _'Wyatt off with Jessica'_. Just hearing Rufus say that so casually pierced Lucy like a knife to the heart.

Lucy's eyes flickered down to the floor as they set off. She was dreading going back to 2018. It had been almost nice to be away from it all, to have a mission to distract her, a fascinating time period to get lost in. She almost wished she could have stayed there – anything to avoid seeing Wyatt again. She wasn't ready. But then again, he probably hadn't returned to the bunker yet. He was probably still with Jessica, trying to figure out what they were going to do…deciding whether he was even going to bother coming back to the bunker at all…

* * *

Wyatt moved the metal stairwell up to the Lifeboat entrance the moment it landed, having momentarily forgotten Jessica stood there, gobsmacked, staring up at the time machine that had just materialized out of thin air. The capsule door slid open, and he watched, relieved, as Lucy slowly emerged. She looked exhausted, and she wore a huge burgundy dress, her hair hanging lankly at each side of her hair. She was clutching her arm as if she had been wounded, but that didn't seem to matter, for her eyes lit up at the sight of Wyatt stood waiting for her at the bottom of the steps.

Taking a careful step out of the Lifeboat, Lucy gazed down at Wyatt, stunned. She couldn't believe he was already back…and suddenly all painful thoughts of him and his wife vanished as the relief flooded through Lucy at the mere sight of him. A small smile on Lucy's tired face, she watched as Wyatt gravitated instantly towards her, hurrying up the steps with a concerned look on his face, worried to see that she had been hurt. But then he paused halfway up the steps as Lucy's eyes flickered away from him and her smile faded. He looked around to follow Lucy's shocked gaze; Jessica was staring up at Lucy and the Lifeboat in awe, completely oblivious to the tension and pain her mere presence had suddenly created in the air.

Lucy felt her heart sink as she took in the sight of the woman Wyatt had talked lovingly about so much. Her hair was a dark, warm shade of blonde and styled in a long, straight bob, and she wore a denim jacket and jeans over her skinny frame. The pretty features on her face were dainty and innocent and perfect. Of course she would be attractive…how could she not be?

Wyatt turned heavily back to Lucy, loathing himself, as he saw Lucy's heart shatter into yet more pieces while she stared at his wife. In all his state of shock and passionate focus on processing Jessica's existence and being truthful with her for once, he hadn't really stopped to think about what bringing to the bunker would do to Lucy, how it would affect her. It was clear from her expression that she hadn't expected Jessica to be here.

Wyatt had never felt so conflicted. The last time he had seen Lucy had been in the bunker corridor, by the fan, his arms on her waist, his eyes lost in hers, the two of them sharing a giddy conversation about their living arrangements as a couple. So much had changed since then. And there was no going back. Not after this…not after he had brought Jessica here and involved her in all of this.

 _Screw this._

Suddenly not caring about what might Jessica think – all that mattered was that Lucy was injured and needed seeing to – Wyatt then strode up a couple more steps…but then froze at the sight of Flynn appearing at Lucy's side, with an unusually protective stance. Wyatt watched with wide, hurt eyes as Flynn put one arm on the small of Lucy's back, and the other firmly on her other, uninjured arm, to keep her steady. Lucy didn't even flinch away; in fact, she seemed rather comforted by his touch. And that was when Wyatt realised, as he took a step back and watched Flynn, that he was no longer the person Lucy could lean on. No matter how much he wanted to help her, he couldn't be that guy anymore, not when he had chosen Jessica and made the foolish, selfish decision to bring her here…things couldn't be like how they used to be, after all. He had to let Lucy go.

Wyatt slowly began to back away down the steps, and sighed heavily as Flynn carefully guided Lucy down. Wyatt glanced over at Jessica, who was still watching Lucy with a look of awe on her face, before turning back to Flynn. He was glaring at Wyatt in almost gloating way, a half-smirk on his face as he shielded Lucy away from Wyatt and escorted her across the floor. Lucy didn't say anything or look back or even glance in Wyatt's direction as she let Flynn lead her away, down the corridor to get some medical attention…it was all just too much for her and it was beyond agony trying to keep it together. Wyatt barely noticed Rufus as he emerged on the steps behind them; he was too preoccupied watching Lucy and Flynn walk away, the pain burning in his eyes. He knew Flynn had been right to make Wyatt back off…he knew this man somewhat cared for Lucy, even though it made little sense after everything he had done…but he also couldn't get the look on Flynn's face as he'd guided Lucy down the steps out of his mind. It had been a look that had clearly told Wyatt, ' _Haven't you already done enough_?' And it shook Wyatt to his very core.

* * *

It was around forty minutes later, and Jiya and Agent Christopher had just finished bandaging up Lucy's arm, and had put it in a sling. Flynn had been sat on Jiya's bed the whole time while the ladies had worked, wanting to make sure that Lucy was okay. When the two of them left, Flynn dragged a chair over to sit at Lucy's side. A single tear rolled down her cheek as Lucy stared up at the ceiling, but when she realised that Flynn was right there, she turned and smiled sadly at him.

'Thank you. For…stepping in back there with Wyatt, when we got back,' she murmured to him. 'I…I was just a little bit shocked, I wasn't expecting Jessica to…'

'No problem. You can deal with Wyatt later in your own time, on your own terms,' Flynn said firmly, checking the sling on her arm was secure. 'For now, you need to get some rest. And look after yourself.'

Lucy gazed at him in amazement, her eyebrows raised. 'Who are you, and what have you done with Garcia Flynn?' she asked, and Flynn chuckled…a rare but nice sight to see.

Just then there was a tentative knock at the bedroom door, and Wyatt himself stepped in, looking desperately uncomfortable. He swallowed loudly at the sight of Flynn sat beside Lucy's bed. She looked so helpless lying there, and so drained.

'Hey. Am I all right to come in?' he asked Lucy, casting Flynn a wary glance.

There was a short silence as Lucy and Flynn looked at each other.

Lucy attempted a small shrug, but winced as the pain shot through her arm. 'If you want…'

'I do. I just wanted to see how you are. Flynn, could you give us a minute?' Wyatt asked politely, trying to contain his irritation.

Flynn raised his eyebrows at Lucy; she nodded reassuringly, and with a sigh, Flynn got up and left the room. Wyatt shut the door behind him and turned back to Lucy in her bed. They looked at each other for a moment, unable to find the words.

'You really want to do this now?' Lucy eventually said wearily, reading the pitiful expression on Wyatt's face. 'I could do with some space at the minute, to be honest, Wyatt, I need some time…'

'I'm here to see how your injury is,' Wyatt said gently. 'I'm not here to talk about us.'

Lucy rolled her eyes. 'There is no 'us', Wyatt,' she mumbled, though it pained her to say it.

Wyatt frowned, his eyes full of despair as he stepped towards her. 'Don't say that,' he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. 'Don't act like it was nothing, please.'

'That's a bit hypocritical of you to say, Wyatt, considering you were making out with me this morning in this very room, and yet this evening you've brought your wife round for dinner,' Lucy said dryly, and Wyatt closed his eyes.

Sighing heavily, he sank onto the chair beside her bed. 'I'm sorry, I…it was insensitive of me to bring Jessica here without talking to you about it first,' he said sincerely, and he reached out to touch her hand.

Lucy withdrew her fingers from his slowly but firmly, trying to ignore the pleasant spark at his gentle touch, the desire to take him in her arms and kiss him…she had to keep it together. She had to pretend. She had to ignore what she wanted…no matter how much it hurt her.

'You don't need my permission, Wyatt, it's nothing to do with me. I'm just…impressed by how fast the transition has gone for you, that's all,' Lucy said, and in the uncomfortable silence that followed, Wyatt rested his head in his hand, agonised, and at a complete loss for how to repair the damage he had already done. 'Is Jessica staying here then?'

'For now, yes. For her own safety,' Wyatt replied apologetically. 'Rittenhouse brought her back somehow, so…whatever reason they had for doing that, it can't be good for her. She'd be in danger if we left her out in normal society.'

'You're right, she needs to be safe,' Lucy agreed. 'It's a good hideout here.'

There was another pause as they simply gazed at each other, Wyatt desperate to hold her hand again but knowing she would pull away if he did, Lucy trying to focus on the pain in her arm rather than on how much it hurt simply to look at that face and those arms, knowing she would never be able to kiss or feel them again…

Wyatt looked down. 'This is horrible,' he said in anguish, and Lucy felt a little glimmer of hope…maybe she had been wrong to assume it had been an easy choice for Wyatt…maybe this had been considerably more difficult for him than she had thought…

'No, the Salem witch trials were horrible. Those women were put through hell. _This_ , what we've got going on here, is just a weird situation that we've got to make the best out of,' Lucy said, her tone empty of any emotion.

Wyatt tilted his head at her admiringly, amazed by how she was trying to make this as easy as possible for him. He didn't deserve her. Well, he certainly didn't now.

'It's funny…for the past six years I've dreamed and fantasised what it would be like to get Jessica back. I never once expected it would hurt this much,' he murmured longingly…and he was horrified to see a tear trickle down Lucy's cheek.

'Please don't look at me like that,' she whispered, turning her head away.

'Like what?' Wyatt asked innocently.

'Like you did in Hollywood. You can't…you've gotta stop,' Lucy replied, wiping the tear away. 'In fact, you shouldn't even be here.'

Wyatt frowned. 'I don't want to leave you, you're injured.'

'You're not going to magic my arm any better, Wyatt, you're just going to make this more unbearable for me. I've got enough pain to be dealing with for the moment,' Lucy said coldly, turning irritably to face him, and she flinched as another surge of pain pierced her arm; she sighed. 'Look, I'm sorry if I'm being petty and bitter about this but I just…I could do with having a little distance for now. Can you at least grant me that?'

Wyatt was stunned; it took him a moment to register everything she had just said, and then he nodded reluctantly. 'Sure. Whatever you need,' he said softly, and he got up off the chair and crossed over to the other side of the room, before turning back to face her. 'Lucy, I'm…I'm sorry you got hurt…on the mission today. And by me. I never meant to-'

'I know, Wyatt. It had just better be worth it,' Lucy said half-jokingly, and she forced a sly smile at him. 'Go. Jessica will be wondering where you are.'

Wyatt nodded again. 'I hope your arm's better soon,' he said, and then he left the room.

Knowing Jessica was in safe hands with the others in the main room of the bunker, Wyatt took a few minutes to himself in his and Rufus's room, where he let some of the tears that he had let build up fall as he collapsed onto his bed, burying his face in his hands. He didn't know what to do. His heart was so torn.

He loved both Lucy and Jessica – that was a fact he could not avoid. But he hadn't lost Lucy, or been the reason for Lucy's death, or been miraculously given the opportunity to try again. He was so overwhelmed by his past memories of Jessica that he had idealised, caught up in the idea of making this marriage as blissful as he had once pictured it to be…and he was still shocked to see Jessica alive. The guilt that had consumed him for the past six years seemed to be the main thing driving him to try and make this work.

' _Listen, you don't get how rare this is…what we have and how it can all be taken like that.'_

Wyatt had meant what he'd said to Jessica before…and so he felt no shame later on when he took Jessica into the privacy of the bunker bathroom to beg her to give him another chance.

His whole world had ended the night Jessica had been murdered. And yes, Lucy had finally brought him back into the land of the living…only now he was blinded by the impossible sight before him, by the face of the woman he had loved and cherished for so many years…the woman he'd thought had been lost forever…

He had been given a second chance – the person he had loved had come back from the dead. He couldn't throw all that away. As much as it hurt him to end the beautiful journey he had started with Lucy…he just couldn't turn his back on the miracle stood before him. Jessica was alive.

' _Together forever…'_ That's what they'd always said to each other, way back in high school. He'd first said it to her on the sixth-month anniversary of their first date, and Jessica, overwhelmed with love and adoration, promised that the two of them would always live by those words. He couldn't forget that promise now. He couldn't toss it aside.

Wyatt had to do the right thing. He couldn't go back to Lucy…no matter how much he might want to.


	30. Held At Knifepoint

**This chapter covers the first half of 2x05, to be continued in the next chapter...**

* * *

When Lucy woke up the next day, she didn't want to open her eyes. She had been dreaming that she had been back in that cosy warm bed at Hedy Lamarr's guest house, with Wyatt's secure arms wrapped around her. But now she could feel the stinging pain in her arm, the cold dingy air of the bunker around her…the draining heartache in her chest.

The feel of the damp facecloth on her forehead forced her eyes to flicker open, out of curiosity to see who it was tending to her. For one blissful moment Lucy's heart soared as she imagined Wyatt's loving face blossoming into view before her…but then as her eyes adjusted to the light, she realised from the long wavy hair and rosy lips and impressive eyebrows that the person sat at her bed was not him. Of course it wasn't. Why would it be?

'Hey. You're awake,' Jiya greeted softly, smiling. 'Fever dropped. That's a good sign.'

Lucy sighed, wishing her arm didn't hurt so much. 'Wyatt?' she murmured, because it was the only thing she could think to say, the only thing that was on her mind right now.

'He's on a mission,' Jiya replied, a tentative tone to her voice, and Lucy felt her stomach drop.

'He went without me?' she asked in a small voice, frowning.

Lucy was terrified, but determined not to let it show. She always hated it whenever she and Wyatt were separated between different time periods. What if the timeline changed somehow and their lives were altered so severely that they didn't know each other anymore? Suddenly Lucy found herself deeply regretting asking Wyatt to give her some distance yesterday. She was still stunned by how things between them had changed so drastically in such a short space of time.

Jiya raised her eyebrows at Lucy, amused. 'You were stabbed…with a knife full of 17th-century germs _and_ running a fever of 105, remember?' she pointed out, tending to her arm, and Lucy winced as Jiya removed some of the plasters.

'Ow. I don't care. He shouldn't have gone without me,' Lucy protested.

'Flynn's pinch hitting. I'm sure he and Wyatt have everything under control.'

'Sure. What could go wrong?' Lucy muttered sarcastically, and Jiya smirked.

'Would've been weird anyway, right? You and Wyatt…on a trip?' Jiya said casually, and her eyes met Lucy's. 'Rufus told me. About Hollywood…you, Wyatt. Sounded pretty romantic.'

Lucy looked back at her, not knowing what to say. _'Pretty romantic'._ That was certainly the understatement of the century. She hated how the mere mention and thought of Hollywood now seemed like a reference to a dream. Lucy hadn't believed it was happening at the time, but that had been mainly because she couldn't believe she was capable of feeling as happy and alive as she had in those precious hours alone with Wyatt. She should have valued those hours more. She should have made the most of that time they'd had together. Now it would just be a memory. And one day it would seem so distant, so unlikely, that Lucy would soon end up forgetting it had happened in reality, and think of it as only a dream. An almost.

Lucy shook her head slightly, desperate for Jiya to understand. 'I didn't know that he was still married. I mean…' She paused and swallowed, overwhelmed by how painful this was just to even talk about. 'I didn't know that Jessica was al-'

'-Alive again,' Jiya finished for her. 'I know. Wasn't judging.'

Lucy swallowed again, somewhat relieved. At least she had a friend here to reassure her.

'I just…I just mean it must be hard,' Jiya said sympathetically, as she applied some new plasters and bandages to the wound on Lucy's arm. 'Especially with her here.'

'I want him to be happy. I mean, this is what he's always wanted,' Lucy insisted, her voice growing fainter and fainter as she stared up at the ceiling. 'So…'

'What about what _you_ want?' Jiya said gently, watching Lucy carefully.

Lucy was stunned. No one had asked her that since Jessica's return. Not Rufus. Sadly, not Wyatt. Perhaps more tragically, not even Lucy herself. She hadn't given a single thought to consider giving into that small selfish part of her that yearned to ask Wyatt to be with her instead. That just wasn't who she was.

'We're still friends. Mm, we have the missions. I'll be fine,' Lucy replied airily, forcing an unconvincing smile, and then she groaned as she tried to sit up in her bed.

'Hey, whoa, whoa, okay,' Jiya protested, alarmed. 'Take it easy.'

'I'll be fine, I'll be fine,' Lucy reassured her wearily.

'Don't be a hero today,' Jiya said firmly.

Lucy tilted her head at her. 'No heroics. I'm just gonna get some tea.'

Lucy regretted this decision almost immediately, for when she walked weakly over to the bunker kitchen, she was horrified to see Jessica's skinny figure bobbing around the counters, already there at the kettle. She looked effortlessly casual, wearing a tight-fitting tank top that emphasised her muscular arms, her blonde hair hung loose and her face free of any make-up. Just from looking at her, Jessica didn't seem to be the embodiment of the flawless, incredible, jaw-dropping goddess Wyatt had always made out her to be in the past. But she was very attractive and clearly something special. And worst of all, to Lucy's chagrin, she very quickly discovered that Jessica was…well, _nice_. And that only made it more impossible to dislike her.

Lucy had already tried turning back to escape, but it was too late – Jessica had seen her before she had a chance to leave the kitchen unnoticed.

'Oh, hey,' Jessica called after her cheerfully.

'Hey,' Lucy greeted in a fake bright tone, turning back around to wave awkwardly.

'Lucy, right? How you feeling?' Jessica asked.

'Not that great, actually. I think I'm gonna go back to bed and rest,' Lucy replied heavily, desperate to get away as quickly as she could, and she gestured back down the corridor.

'Do you want some tea?' Jessica offered at once, and when Lucy hesitated, she smiled. 'Sit down. I tend bar for a living, so it's, like, physically impossible for me to let someone else serve their own drink.'

Lucy wandered over uncomfortably and took a seat at the kitchen table. This was so surreal. She felt so dishonest, like the dirty mistress. Clearly, Jessica didn't know about her and Wyatt. Not yet, at least. And Lucy suddenly found herself hating Wyatt for leaving her to deal with this awkward situation by herself while he was galivanting off on some mission. This was unbearable for her.

'So, uh, you're a historian, right?' Jessica said, trying to make chit-chat, as she poured some hot water from the kettle into some mugs. 'That must be interesting. Don't know why I said that, I have _no_ idea what a historian does.'

She was laughing. She had such a nice laugh. No wonder Wyatt was so enamoured with her. Lucy tried to chuckle softly in response but barely even managed a smile.

'Yeah, well, um, I teach,' Lucy replied, accepting her cup of tea as Jessica joined her at the table. 'I taught…I mean, I used to, you know, before…all of this.'

'Well, Wyatt said he wouldn't survive the missions without you,' Jessica said, unaware of how her words made Lucy's heart skip a beat in spite of herself.

'No, it's really more the other way around,' Lucy said without thinking, smiling fondly, and there was something slightly false in Jessica's returning smile that made Lucy want to change the subject. 'You, um, you said you're a bartender?'

'Yeah, yeah, yeah. At Gilroy's in the Mission. Drinks suck, but the management's cool.'

'Uh, is that where you and Wyatt met?' Lucy asked her, at the same time wondering to herself why on earth she was prying into this and whether she was trying to break her own heart even more.

'No, Wyatt and I met in high school,' Jessica replied, and she laughed, mistaking Lucy's crestfallen expression for one of awe. 'Yeah. We've been together since senior year, if you can believe that. He didn't tell you this?'

Lucy tried to smile as she shook her head.

'Yeah, he's not much of a talker.'

Lucy found this comment somewhat odd. She'd found that after a little time, with her, Wyatt was very much a talker. But that didn't really matter anymore. Because Lucy had just found out that not only was Jessica his wife, but also his beloved high school sweetheart…the girl who had saved him from the brink of destruction during his troubled adolescent years. They had been together for years and years and years. She really was the love of his life. And it was killing Lucy to be sat here talking with this ridiculously lucky woman about it, to act as if everything was fine and like her world didn't seem to be crumbling further around her.

'What about you? Are you married?' Jessica asked.

 _Really? Really, Jessica?_

Lucy chuckled. ' _No_ ,' she said firmly, feeling even more awkward if that were possible. 'Me…not…married. I mean, I, uh…I was engaged once, kind of. For like a moment. I don't know. It…it's complicated.'

'It always is, isn't it?' Jessica said wearily, her face radiating empathy. 'Wyatt and I have been in counselling for two years.'

Lucy's eyes widened, shocked. Counselling? Wyatt had failed to mention that.

But then Jessica started laughing again. 'I mean, in _my_ reality. I guess not in his. Or yours. It's, uh…this time travel stuff really messes with your head,' she said, bemused.

Lucy raised her eyebrows at her. _Oh, you have no idea, Jessica._

She took another sip of tea, trying to keep a forced smile on her face, but thankfully the awkward silence and uncomfortable eye contact didn't last long due to Jiya arriving to save the day and join them for some food.

It was a few hours later when Wyatt and Rufus returned with the Lifeboat, looking harassed and panicked. It soon transpired that the mission had been a disaster, mainly due to the lack of Lucy and her knowledge on who the sleeper agent could be after, and they had been forced to split up during a shootout and abandon Flynn in the past. They agreed grudgingly to go back to pick him up once they had dealt with the pressing situation that they had lying unconscious in the Lifeboat…a teenage John F. Kennedy.

Lucy was absolutely horrified, but Wyatt tried to reassure her that they would simply wait until the Lifeboat charged back up, and then they would be able to take Kennedy back to 1934. When Kennedy woke up, the team pretended to be private security, hired to protect Kennedy from the assassin, his English teacher at school, who had attempted to kill him. Reassuring Kennedy that he was safe and would be returned home soon, they left him to get comfortable in one of the storage rooms they'd shut him in, and made their way back into the main room of the bunker.

The others were talking, but Lucy barely heard what they were saying. She had just noticed that Wyatt was wearing his wedding ring.

She trudged on after Rufus and Agent Christopher down the corridor, moving slowly in her dressing gown so as not to cause her arm any further pain, when Wyatt caught up with her.

'Hey, you feeling any better?' Wyatt asked, concerned, glancing at her anxiously.

Lucy hesitated as they kept walking. 'I'm fine,' she replied airily, annoyed, and determinedly not looking at him.

'It's hard to imagine that skinny kid grows up to bang Marilyn Monroe, huh?' Wyatt said jokingly, a nervous tremor to his voice.

He sounded so hopeful, so desperate, so anxious for them to talk normally, for things to be like how they were before, as if nothing had changed. He really had no idea just how broken Lucy felt because of him. He didn't realise that simply wearing a silver band on his wedding finger was enough to shatter her heart into yet more irreparable pieces.

Lucy sighed, unimpressed. 'Hmm. Kennedy's intern and mistress, Mimi Alfred, said that he had a way of making a woman feel like she was the _only_ one that mattered, even when he was married to someone else,' she said coolly, and she stopped walking to raise her eyebrows at him.

Wyatt stopped walking as well as his face fell and he turned to face her, an earnest expression on his face. He hated this. He hated what he had done to her. And he hated to see Lucy look at him in that way.

He sighed heavily. 'Look, I'm sorry,' he murmured. 'I know this is really weird, but I didn't have a choice. I couldn't take the-'

'This is _so_ awkward for me!' Lucy cut over him quietly, furious.

'There you are.'

Lucy and Wyatt backed away from each other quickly as Jessica approached, smiling obliviously at the two of them as they tried to maintain neutral expressions. But then Jessica saw the irritated look in Wyatt's eyes and the stony set of Lucy's jaw. Jessica's smile faded.

'Did I interrupt something?' she asked warily, confused, after a short pause.

'No,' Wyatt replied at once, scratching his ear, clearly desperately uncomfortable.

Lucy nodded at him, amazed by how he could think for one second that Jessica would believe him when he was such a terrible liar.

'Hmm,' Jessica said, unconvinced, and she glanced back at Lucy, a searching look in her eyes.

'I was, uh…just gonna get John something to eat,' Lucy said awkwardly, and without looking at either of them, she walked past and hurried away down the corridor.

Wyatt watched her go with a look of longing and sorrow in his eyes, completely unaware of his wife stood right there, frowning suspiciously at him.

While Lucy tried to distract herself in the kitchen by making Kennedy a rather strange sandwich, Agent Christopher walked over to her, unusually relaxed and gentle.

'It's been a tough week for you,' she noted, as Lucy spread some mustard on the sandwich.

Lucy shrugged. 'I'm on the mend.'

'That's not what I meant. You've been quiet since you got back from Salem, and I have a feeling I know why,' Agent Christopher said sympathetically, as she watched Lucy slam various bits of meat onto the sandwich.

Lucy glanced at her. 'You do?' she asked, highly doubting it.

'Your mother tried to have you hanged as a witch,' Agent Christopher said slowly, still unable to believe the fact. 'I imagine that'd be just a little bit upsetting. Do you want to talk about it?'

'Not really, but…thanks for asking,' Lucy replied, forcing a smile.

The awful truth was, Lucy wasn't even that traumatised by the events with her mother yesterday. Yes, it had been terrible and distressing for her…but in all honesty, Lucy had come to see her mother for what she really was during those six awful weeks with Rittenhouse. She had even been prepared to kill her with a grenade. So Carol accusing her of being a witch…well, Lucy had been disappointed, but not really surprised.

Agent Christopher was wrong in assuming it was Carol Preston plaguing Lucy's mind and making her so withdrawn. But of course, why would Agent Christopher know about her and Wyatt? As far as this new timeline was concerned, there was nothing to know. Nothing had ever been going on between Lucy and Wyatt.

Lucy didn't have long to dwell on this, however…for when she entered the storage room to bring John Kennedy his sandwich, she was terrified to discover that he had somehow escaped the bunker. Everyone quickly searched the bunker, while the guards looked for their guest in the grounds outside, but he had long gone…and if they weren't able to take JFK back to 1934 then there would be no Peace Corps, no Civil Rights Act, no immigration reform…the world as they now knew it would be entirely different. Rufus and Jiya decided that they would start checking traffic and security cameras in their search for him, while Wyatt convinced Agent Christopher to let him have a car so he could go out and look for Kennedy. As they discussed the logistics of their plan, Wyatt then placed a gentle hand on Lucy's shoulder, sending an electric current running through her, and she looked up at him, stunned – did regular friends or co-workers touch like that? He didn't seem to have processed that Jessica was right there.

'Hey, I think you ought to sit this one out. Get some rest,' Wyatt murmured to Lucy gently, a reassuring tone to his voice as he gazed down at her in concern.

'Oh, I can come with you,' Jessica interjected at once, before Lucy had a chance to reply.

Everyone turned to face Jessica, hovering hopefully in the doorway, with sceptical expressions. Lucy and Wyatt had identical doubtful looks on their faces.

'I don't…really think that's probably a good idea,' Wyatt said awkwardly, folding his arms, while Lucy shook her head.

Jessica frowned. 'Why not?' she protested.

'This is a matter of national security. These missions are dangerous,' Agent Christopher replied in a low voice.

'Well, she's a teacher, right?' Jessica said bluntly, indicating Lucy, and it couldn't have been plainer from her tone what she meant by that.

Lucy straightened up slightly in her seat as her eyebrows shot up, insulted. Wyatt watched Jessica, lost for words and deeply uncomfortable, while Rufus and Jiya's eyes widened over in the corner of the room. Wyatt felt slightly crushed that his wife would be insensitive enough to say something that would offend his co-worker. And not even just his co-worker. This was _Lucy_.

'Never mind. Just…trying to help,' Jessica said, smiling awkwardly and clearly disappointed, and she began to back out of the room.

'You know what?' Wyatt called after her desperately, and Jessica paused and looked at him. 'Uh…maybe you're right. Uh…more eyes the better…right?'

Lucy looked up at him sharply, astonished. No. This could not be happening right now. The two of them were going to go off on a mission _together_?!

'Okay, fine. Just…be careful,' Agent Christopher said, quietly but firmly.

'You know what?' Lucy said, her mind made up, and as she stood up as gracefully as she could from the chair, she looked at Jessica. 'I'll come too.'

'Lucy, you are still recovering,' Agent Christopher protested, confused, as Rufus and Jiya exchanged a bemused look.

'I'm-I'm feeling better,' Lucy lied, aware of how Wyatt was glancing back and forth between her and Jessica. 'And didn't Wyatt say…can't hurt to have more eyes?'

Wyatt hesitated slightly. 'Yeah,' he said airily in an unusually quiet voice, as Jessica smiled and nodded in agreement. 'Yeah, sure.'

'Yeah,' Lucy insisted, a smile fixed on her face.

She knew deep down this probably wasn't a wise decision. This was only going to stir trouble or hurt her more. But Lucy couldn't bear the thought of Wyatt and Jessica off together doing the job Wyatt and Lucy did, even though she knew it was wrong to think that…after all, they _were_ married. Nevertheless, Lucy was determined that she would stick close to the couples' side. Jessica may have taken Lucy's place as Wyatt's lover, but she certainly wasn't going to take her place on these missions.

* * *

They decided to head over to the nearest building to search and ask around for Kennedy there. Before they left, they went to their rooms to change their clothes, but Lucy's jacket was too small for her what with her arm still injured. Wyatt was quick to offer her a jacket of his own when he bumped into her in the corridor – an old grey blazer jacket from one of his suits.

'Err, are you sure Jessica won't mind?' Lucy asked doubtfully. 'Seems a bit weird, me wearing your jacket.'

'It's fine. No big deal,' Wyatt said casually, as he draped his suit jacket over Lucy's shoulders.

Lucy swallowed rather nervously as Wyatt removed her hair from underneath the jacket collar, and she turned around to face him. He was gazing at her in a way that made her melt and yet also made her furious. He wouldn't have dared look at her like that if he hadn't known Jessica was safely away at the other end of the bunker gathering her things for their outdoor trip. Not wanting to get lost in his smouldering, wistful eyes, Lucy moved away and with an irritated sigh, she turned to leave, but then Wyatt reached out to hold her arm.

'Wait, Lucy, just come in here for a second. Please,' he said urgently in a hushed voice, guiding her over to the bathroom door, and, checking that the coast was clear, he ushered Lucy inside.

'Wyatt, what are you _doing_?' Lucy demanded, aghast, as she removed his hand from her arm and watched him shut the bathroom door. 'We can't be in here, what if Jessica sees? People might suspect something!'

'Nothing's going on, I just want us to talk without being overheard,' Wyatt said defensively.

Lucy sighed in exasperation. 'I told you the other day, I don't want to talk about this anymore-'

'I thought before we go out there as a threesome we need to-'

'Woah, what?!'

'You know what I meant, like a trio!' Wyatt clarified impatiently. 'I'm just saying we need to make sure our head is in the game.'

'Are you saying mine isn't?!' Lucy said accusingly, annoyed, and she winced as she tried putting her arms on her hips to only just remember that her arm was still gravely injured and painful.

'I'm saying we didn't really get a chance to finish our conversation earlier,' Wyatt said heavily. 'You seemed like you have something you wanted to get off your chest.'

Lucy raised her eyebrows at him and let out a cynical laugh. 'Wow. Your social awareness and emotional observational skills are overwhelming, Wyatt, really, you should be proud.'

Wyatt groaned. 'Look, enough with the sarcasm already, Lucy, it doesn't suit you,' he said irritably.

'Well you know what doesn't suit _you_? This insensitive, self-absorbed act you've got going on,' Lucy snapped.

'See, this is what I mean,' Wyatt said earnestly. 'Just…whatever it is, just spit it out now. Talk to me about it, let me know how you're feeling! Please, I wanna know so I can make it better. We need to talk this out before we go out in the field together, all right? We need to clear the air.'

Lucy stared at him in bemusement. 'You're…you're acting as if you don't know, or y-you don't understand…'

'Of course I understand, didn't you hear anything I said to you in your room when you got back from Salem yesterday?' Wyatt said in anguish, and he sighed. 'I just…I want us to try and move past this, I want us to be able to work together like we used to-'

'Like we used to?' Lucy said sceptically, and she frowned at him, stunned by his oblivious, foolish attitude on this. 'Wyatt, you know that can't happen.'

'Look, you're upset, I get it, I am too-'

But Lucy cut over him, incredulous. 'Why the hell should _you_ be upset? You've got everything you've ever wanted. And I'm not just upset, Wyatt, I'm angry.'

'Okay. So…let's talk about that,' Wyatt murmured tentatively, trying to sound encouraging.

Lucy clasped a hand to her forehead. 'I told you the other day to spend time with Jessica…I didn't say "oh, please, bring her back here and move in with us"! My new 'housemate' is now the resurrected wife of the man I…' She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

She hadn't told him in Hollywood that she loved him, and now it was too late. She couldn't say it now. And there was no way Wyatt would ever say it to her. That ship had sailed…and sunk. Wyatt watched her now, his eyes full of despair, and wondered why he couldn't have treated her better, why he couldn't have handled this differently. He had messed this up in the worst way possible. And he didn't want to lose Lucy…but he felt like he already had.

Lucy sighed heavily. 'Wyatt, don't get me wrong, I'm…I'm happy that she's alive, I'm happy that you're happy, I know it's your dream come true, but…I just wish you could have been a little bit more considerate about how this is affecting me. I mean, did you ever stop to think what it would be like for me to see you with her and be living with the happy married couple?' Lucy asked, her eyes suddenly wet as she took in Wyatt's agonised expression. 'I mean, I said earlier it was awkward for me, but that's an understatement – this is…b-beyond uncomfortable, it's so hard for me, Wyatt, it's so _damn_ hard to see you two together, to see her around everywhere…judging me and-'

'She's not judging you, she…' But Wyatt broke off, unable to find the words.

He could think of nothing he could say in his defence, nothing to justify his behaviour. He had been so careless, so selfish. He had as good as tossed Lucy aside the moment he'd found out Jessica was still alive. Or at least, that was how Lucy saw it. Maybe that was how it actually was. He just didn't know anymore. He didn't know what he had done or why he had done it. He just wished he could take away Lucy's pain. He wished they could be back in Hollywood, just those two, in that gorgeous firelit room, in each other's arms…with no sense of duty or guilt towards another keeping him apart from her. He wished they could go back in time and just stay in that moment…by the pool, in the guest house…forever.

'I thought you weren't…' Wyatt began, and he closed his eyes and shook his head before trying again. 'Lucy, you…you pushed me away.'

Lucy frowned at him. 'Pushed you away?'

'You didn't even give me a choice in the matter, you-'

'No, don't you dare give me that bullshit,' Lucy interrupted, a furious tremor in her voice, 'how can you say that? I was doing the nice thing, I was being the good guy, how could I have told you to come back to me? This is your wife! Come back from the dead! You have been _obsessed_ with getting her back since the day I met you-'

Wyatt's nostrils flared. '"Obsessed"?'

'Okay, I didn't mean it like that,' Lucy said hastily, her cheeks reddening. 'I just…look, this is ridiculous. I don't want to fight.'

'I don't either,' Wyatt said desperately. 'I just had no idea…on the phone, you didn't seem that-'

'God, Wyatt, I was pretending to be okay! How else was I supposed to have reacted?' Lucy said incredulously.

'I don't want you to pretend, Lucy, I want you to _be_ okay!' Wyatt said, taking a step towards her. 'And I hate that I'm the reason you're not. Look, I can ask Jess to sit this one out. Might make it easier for both of us. Or…'

'No, to hell with that. I need to get used to her being around, seeming as this seems like it's the new long-term arrangement,' Lucy said firmly, taking a deep breath to try and control her temper. 'I'll be fine. We'll be fine. We're mature adults, we can do this. It's just another mission…with an extra team member. That's all.'

Wyatt sighed as he continued to gaze at her, his eyes full of longing. 'That's all. Look, Lucy, before we go…-' He reached out to hold her waist as she turned to leave, but at his touch Lucy instantly withdrew herself and backed away to the bathroom door.

'Don't touch me,' she protested.

Wyatt frowned, confused. 'Wh-what?'

He said it so innocently, with such a genuinely bewildered look on his face, that Lucy realised then he had no idea that he was crossing boundaries, that things weren't the same, that there was anything wrong with the way he was being around her. He thought they were still Logan and Preston, Lucy and Wyatt, 'Babydoll' and 'Sweetheart', when they really weren't. Not anymore.

'Sorry, I just…please. You've got to stop treating me like this,' Lucy said sadly, and she tilted her head at him, dazed. 'When are you going to get it into your head, Wyatt? This isn't us pre-Hollywood. This is us…post-resurrected-wife.'

It took a moment for Wyatt to register her words, and then he gave a nervous swallow and nodded. 'I just wanted to say…I'm sorry,' he murmured.

'Well don't. Stop with the apologies and the touches and the looks. It's happened, and…it is what it is,' Lucy said, shrugging, and she turned to open the bathroom door. 'Now c'mon, we've got more important things to focus on, like, oh I dunno, finding one of the most famous and influential presidents of the twentieth century?'

Wyatt clicked her fingers, trying to pretend he wasn't as hurt by Lucy's words as he really was. 'Got it. Let's go,' he said promptly.

And with that, the pair left the bathroom and headed off down the corridor to meet Jessica by the exit, their masks already on, their carefree act in place – their conversation in the bathroom might never have even happened.

* * *

The closest building to the bunker was a gas station about two miles away. Lucy, Wyatt and Jessica drove there mostly in silence, with only the occasional remark about what Kennedy could possibly be doing. With one sweeping look, Jessica made it plainly obvious that she had noticed her husband's grey blazer jacket draped around Lucy, but chose not to comment on it. Lucy wasn't sure whether this was a good thing or not.

When they entered the gas station, the three of them looked around but it appeared to be empty.

'Hello?' Wyatt called.

'Just a sec,' a staff member called from the back.

Lucy then turned to Wyatt and Jessica. 'Okay, so here's the deal – John's my brother, and…he's off his meds,' she said.

'Okay, who am I?' Wyatt asked her.

'You're…my friend,' Lucy replied awkwardly, and Jessica frowned suspiciously as Wyatt nodded and Lucy forced a nervous smile. 'We can be friends, can't we?'

Jessica glanced uneasily at Wyatt. 'Okay, dumb question, but why don't you guys just tell the truth?' she then suggested to them both.

'Oh, that we're looking for President Kennedy who time travelled from 1934?' Lucy said drily, too irritated and worried by their current situation to bother pretending to be polite to Jessica.

Jessica grinned, amused. 'Okay, well, not all _that_. But Wyatt's military – they should answer his questions, right?'

'Yeah, well, we normally…try to keep a lower profile than that, so…' Lucy said, shrugging, but Jessica frowned, looking confused.

'Why?'

'Be-cause,' Lucy replied coolly and slowly, as if talking to a child, and with a tilt of her head she turned back to the till just in time to see the sales assistant arrive.

'Sorry about that,' he said, approaching them behind the till. 'How can I help you?'

Wyatt stepped forward, eager to take charge. 'Yeah, we are, uh, looking for a teenage boy that might have come through here – skinny kid, light blue sport coat, tie,' he said.

The sales assistant looked suddenly nervous. 'Sorry…haven't seen him,' he replied, avoiding their eye contact.

Lucy glanced up at Wyatt; he was giving the sales assistant a penetrating stare, trying to read whatever it was he was hiding. The sales assistant breathed heavily.

'All right, look. Uh – U.S. Army,' Wyatt said, holding out the ID badge in his wallet.

'So?' the sales assistant said at once, and Wyatt frowned at him.

Lucy took a step forward to the till. 'Please,' she said imploringly, and Wyatt put away his wallet grudgingly – Lucy had this under control now, as she always did. 'We've been looking everywhere for him. He's my brother, and he wandered out of the house today.'

'What's wrong with him?' the sales assistant asked curiously.

'He suffers…from delusions and paranoia,' Lucy explained.

Wyatt couldn't take his eyes off her as she spoke, and he was completely oblivious to the way his arm was pressed against hers, how his need to be close to her was so ingrained in him that it was completely subconscious…how in awe of her he was. He knew he needed to stop looking at Lucy in that way, but it was an automatic reaction…and he didn't know what he could do to control his feelings. But he knew he needed to take a step back. He had made a choice, he had done the right, honourable thing, and he needed to stick to it. He had just never imagined it would be this difficult or emotionally draining.

'I mean, he thinks that people are after him,' Lucy went on, trying to ignore the feel of Wyatt's gaze on her. 'He'll be fine as soon as we can get him his meds.'

'Mm,' Wyatt agreed.

'What meds?' the sales assistant challenged, clearly still sceptical, and Lucy instantly began to flounder.

Wyatt began to chuckle incredulously. 'What? What _meds_?'

'Um…'

'Risperidone,' Jessica said out of nowhere, and Lucy's face fell as Wyatt turned away to look admiringly at his wife. 'It's an antipsychotic. I can call his doctor if you'd like.'

At this, the sales assistant closed his eyes. 'H-he came by about 40 minutes ago,' he admitted.

Once he had told them that John Kennedy had left with some other teenagers to Palo Alto in a red BMW, the three of them hurried out of the gas station at once to follow in the car Agent Christopher had let them borrow. Back in the bunker, Rufus tried to track Kennedy but the red BMW ended up driving out of range towards South on Willow. As they drove on, Lucy figured out that Kennedy might have been admitted to the hospital there, as he suffered from many health issues all his life – the stress of his current predicament had probably worsened his medical condition. Wyatt seemed doubtful, but to Lucy's surprise, Jessica backed her up on her idea.

'Hey, I'd go with the historian on this one. I mean, she's kept you alive this long, right?' Jessica pointed out from the front passenger seat.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows, surprised. 'Hospital it is,' he said, as he turned the steering wheel.

Lucy glanced from Wyatt to Jessica just as Jessica turned around to smile warmly at Lucy, sat in the back. Lucy tried to manage a small smile back, but it was such a hard strain on her facial muscles. She had never felt less like smiling.

When they arrived at Lucy's suggested destination, the three of them began to walk from the parking lot towards the hospital entrance, Lucy trying desperately to keep in line with Wyatt and Jessica rather than being forced to walk behind.

'God, I hate hospitals. Remember Hawaii?' Jessica said to Wyatt, laughing.

Wyatt groaned. 'Ugh, don't remind me.'

'What happened?' Lucy asked in a light and breezy tone, feigning interest just so she could try not to feel too left out.

'Uh, we were on a surfing trip,' Jessica replied.

Lucy glanced at Wyatt. 'You surf?' She was so impressed that she almost didn't notice the tree blocking her path on the pavement beside Wyatt.

'Yeah,' Wyatt replied smugly, as Lucy hung behind Wyatt to avoid smashing into the tree, an irritated expression on her face.

'Eh, not as well as he thinks he does,' Jessica said amusedly, and as Wyatt groaned in protest, Lucy hurried desperately to go around the tree and keep up with them. 'You wiped out! Hit himself on the head with a board, got a concussion…'

'Ended up in this awful hospital,' Wyatt said, smiling with nostalgia, completely unaware of how Lucy's face had fallen beside them as they walked on.

Jessica gazed at Wyatt, amazed. 'You remember that?' she asked, surprised.

'I remember that you…never left my side,' Wyatt replied fondly. 'You slept in that uncomfortable chair for days. I remember that.'

Jessica looked lovestruck as she returned Wyatt's warm, tender smile, and as the two walked on into the building, they didn't notice that Lucy had held back and stopped walking for a brief moment. She watched the two of them walk ahead together, her eyes blank, her face empty of all emotion, and felt her heart splinter once more. They looked so right, so perfect together. She hadn't seen it before until right now. It hadn't just all been a fantasy in Wyatt's head. It wasn't just a memory anymore. Their marriage was real, and it was here and happening _now_. There was no avoiding that fact.

Lucy rolled her eyes to herself, wondering why on earth she had volunteered to accompany the man she loved and his wife, before trudging after them into the hospital building. She bumped into Wyatt just as she went through the automatic doors; apparently he had turned back to fetch her.

'There you are!' Wyatt said, his hand on her arm, and his smile faded slightly as he took in her stony, crestfallen expression. 'Everything okay?'

Lucy didn't answer. 'Let's just get on with this,' she muttered, and she pushed past him and headed straight over to the reception desk, where Jessica was waiting for them.

They found out from the receptionist that John Kennedy was indeed in the hospital, with some 'friends' who wanted to take him to some party once he was discharged…but unfortunately it seemed Lucy, Wyatt and Jessica weren't the only ones wanting to see him. Apparently, Kennedy's 'aunt' had paid a visit…and sure enough, as they headed towards Room 325 where Kennedy had been admitted, they caught sight of Emma's long wavy red hair disappear behind the door. Withdrawing his gun, Wyatt charged down the corridor and into Kennedy's room after Emma immediately. Lucy and Jessica followed, but were held up by the pain in Lucy's arm…and by some passing nurses wheeling around some hospital beds, blocking their path.

Lucy and Jessica could hear thumping, crashing and groaning as they ran up to the room…and when they entered, they saw that Kennedy was not there…but Wyatt and Emma were engaged in what seemed to be a very gruelling fight.

Lucy's mouth popped open in horror. 'Wyatt?! Jessica, over there,' she said firmly, and she pushed Jessica roughly to the side, out of harms' way, before grabbing a metal tray and smashing Emma over the head with it before she got another chance to strike Wyatt.

Emma immediately grabbed Lucy with the tray, straining Lucy's arm, and pulled a knife up to Lucy's throat. Lucy yelled out and a look of panic flashed across Wyatt's face as he grabbed his gun from the floor and looked up to see what had happened.

His face draining of colour, he took an urgent step forwards, his gun pointed directly at Emma, his eyes fixated on Lucy, panicked.

'Uh-uh. I wouldn't if I were you,' Emma said threateningly, and Lucy whimpered slightly.

Wyatt glared fiercely back at her, at a complete loss with what to do. She had a knife to Lucy's throat.

 _Lucy. Oh God, not Lucy, no._

'Or maybe her life doesn't matter anymore now that you have your wife back,' Emma went on spitefully, her grip around Lucy's neck tight.

Wyatt neither cared nor noticed as Jessica looked around to face him questioningly. He only cared about getting Lucy out of that woman's grip and beating Emma senseless for the words she had just spoken. He knew Lucy wouldn't believe Emma…she would know Emma had only said it to make them angry…but then Lucy said something that made Wyatt's heart sink.

'Do it,' she said fiercely to Wyatt, her voice trembling with fear as she tried to take deep breaths, but her eyes were burning, and he knew that she meant it.

As he stared at her, agonised, his hand shaking as he held the gun, unsure of what to do, Wyatt couldn't help but think back to a similar situation, so long ago now, when Flynn had also had Lucy in a tight grip, outside the burning remains of the Hindenburg. Wyatt had also been conflicted then about what to do, but nothing on this scale…

He could still hear Flynn's smug voice saying, 'I know for a fact that you're not gonna shoot.' He could hear Lucy's whispered plea of his name…He could remember his apologetic tilt of the head before taking the shot…

' _When you shot Flynn…couple inches to the right, you would have blown my brains out. You just that good or was I just that expendable?'_

' _Well, I guess I'm just that good…ma'am.'_

But _was_ he that good? He had missed Lucy that time, he had shot without even flinching, but now…now he wasn't sure if he could take the risk. He had too much to lose now. So much had changed since then. Lucy meant so much more to him. Wyatt felt his nostrils flare as he gritted his teeth and glared, livid, at Emma, his finger hovering anxiously on the trigger.

'She's their only pilot,' Lucy insisted desperately, her gaze imploring him, her voice turning to a whisper. 'Do it.'

Wyatt tilted his head, trying to get the best aim, but he groaned, breathing out deeply in agony – he couldn't get a clean shot. Not one hundred per cent clean anyway. And he couldn't bring himself to take the risk, despite the soldier in him screaming at him to do so, for the sake of the mission. He loved Lucy. Yes, he knew his wife was standing there in the room watching him, wondering why he was backing away in fear, why he was hesitating, why he was in such turmoil…but he couldn't deny that the thought of losing Lucy was just…it was unbearable. It was torturous. And he just couldn't take the chance of Lucy getting hurt. He would rather die than have anything happen to her.

In one swift movement, Emma then suddenly withdrew the knife from Lucy's throat and pushed her across the room, where Lucy tumbled down towards the floor, into Wyatt's waiting arms. Emma immediately ran off out of the room, but Wyatt didn't care – he was too focussed on seeing that Lucy was unharmed.

'Lucy. Lucy,' he said urgently, bending down to her level, his arms around her, his hand cradling the back of her head, as she let out deep, panicked gasps. 'Are you all right? You okay?'

Eyes widening, Jessica backed away slowly as she watched the two of them, and the realisation set in. Wyatt's face so close to Lucy's…his hand on her neck…his other hand supporting her arm…her traumatised eyes gazing beseechingly into his…their visible desperate longing to see that the other was okay…the overwhelming relief shared between them…the way they were lost in each other's eyes…Jessica couldn't believe it had taken her a day to truly see it.

They were in love.

'Yeah?' Wyatt was murmuring to Lucy, oblivious to Jessica watching them in their own little intimate bubble.

'Yeah. Go, go, go!' Lucy urged, and Wyatt reluctantly released his hold of her to charge after Emma…only to then immediately be arrested by one of the security guards.

'This is a mistake. Wyatt was the one that was attacked!' Lucy was saying imploringly, as she and Jessica followed the guard escorting a cuffed Wyatt down the corridor.

'Take it up with the police when they get here,' the guard muttered, uncaring, as they strode on.

'Look, I have a license for the gun. I'm U.S. Army Special Forces,' Wyatt protested, as Lucy surreptitiously picked a paperclip from a file hanging from the wall, and placed it in his cuffed hands at his back. 'Call Agent Denise Christopher at Homeland Security. She'll clear it all up.'

'There must be someone in management that we can talk to! _Who_ is your supervisor?' Lucy demanded, putting on a furious act as Wyatt set to work with the paperclip on his cuffs.

Wyatt grinned to himself; it was good to know that, in spite of everything, he and Lucy still had that sense of ease, that comforting knowledge that they could handle this together and trust each other. They knew how to get out of this – they were practically partners.

'His name is Lou Ritchey, and he's gone for the day,' the guard replied gruffly.

'Of course he is!' Lucy said irritably, and Wyatt chuckled softly at just how enthusiastic her acting was.

'Ma'am, you should wait in the lobby. The police want to talk to the both of you when they get here,' the guard instructed, and as he marched Wyatt on down the corridor, Lucy and Jessica came to a halt, a satisfied smirk on Lucy's face as she watched Wyatt go, his fingers busy with the paperclip.

Jessica seemed baffled by Lucy's strange sense of calm at the fact that Wyatt had just been arrested, and as they wandered out of the hospital building, she stared at Lucy incredulously.

'You slipped him a paper clip,' she said, bemused.

'Don't worry. We've done this before,' Lucy reassured her, a fond smile on her face as she thought back to all those tight spots she and Wyatt had gotten out of together.

Jessica shook her head to herself, perplexed, but then frowned when she noticed Lucy wincing at the pain in her arm. 'You don't want to get that checked?' she asked, concerned. 'We're here.'

'I'll live,' Lucy said airily, walking ahead. 'We've got much bigger problems.'

She came to a halt by the pavement when she realised that Jessica had stopped following her. Lucy turned around and felt her stomach drop at the way Jessica stood with her hands on her hips, her expression half-heartbroken, half-confused.

'You okay?' Lucy asked.

Jessica smiled wryly at her. 'The way Wyatt looked at you back there,' she said, and she shrugged. 'Doesn't take a professor to figure it out.'

Lucy's lips parted as she tried to think of something to say, but she couldn't find the right words. She was shocked – she hadn't expected it to be that obvious, or for Jessica to find out so soon, and in such a way. Lucy had hoped for his sake that Wyatt would have been able to tell Jessica about his almost-relationship with Lucy on his own terms, when the time was right.

'I-I get it,' Jessica said, trying to reassure Lucy, and she gave a sceptical wiggle of her eyebrows. 'He thought I was dead and…it's not like he was faithful to me before. I don't know why he'd be faithful to me now.'

Lucy began to shake her head desperately. 'Jessica, it's-'

'Look, Lucy, this was fun. And insane,' Jessica said, laughing softly. 'And I believe Wyatt's changed. Yesterday I was ready to divorce him, and after seeing him like this I thought…maybe he's right. Maybe he _does_ deserve another chance, but…I don't think I'm the one he should be getting that chance with.'

She was watching Lucy pointedly, a curious, almost awed look in her eyes, and Lucy closed her mouth, unsure of what to say, of what to think, of what to feel. A small part of her was rejoicing – Jessica was being nice and understanding and mature about this, and hadn't even lashed out about her husband's feelings for her. Even better, she seemed to be willing to walk away, to give them an easy opening, to let Lucy and Wyatt be together. But another, much larger, part of Lucy was screaming: _No. This isn't right. Think about Wyatt. Think about how broken he would be. Think about what he wants._

'Tell him I said bye?' Jessica said hopefully, but Lucy simply stared blankly back at her, stunned; Jessica nodded, and began to walk past Lucy. 'Okay…'

For a few seconds, Lucy listened to the sound of Jessica's heeled boots march hurriedly across the road as she walked away, her mind totally conflicted… _you could have it all, this is your chance…but I would never forgive myself, and neither would Wyatt, and their love is so pure and timeless and…_

'Jessica, wait,' Lucy said sharply, and she turned urgently to catch up with Jessica. 'Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Just…just don't leave yet. Hear me out, okay?'

Jessica turned back to face her, a sceptical look of resignation on her face, and she folded her arms. Lucy swallowed; she couldn't believe she was about to do this.

'When we went to 1962 Vegas, Wyatt sent you a telegram from Western Union,' Lucy told her, a hint of a half-smile on her face.

Jessica looked astounded. 'Like in 'Back to the Future'?' she said, dazed.

'Yes, like in 'Back to the Future', but…it didn't work. So then he stole the Lifeboat to…try and go back and stop your killer from ever being born, but it didn't work either,' Lucy went on. 'And he got court-martialled for it too.'

'He did?' Jessica said in a quiet, awestruck voice.

' _Yes_. My point is…'

And then Lucy paused and looked down away from Jessica's heartfelt gaze, because it was costing her everything she had in her to say this. There was a tremor in her voice as she spoke, trying desperately to conceal the anguish she felt and prevent her eyes from welling up.

Lucy then forced herself to look up at Jessica. 'Even though you weren't there…you were always on Wyatt's mind,' she said fiercely. 'I mean, he risked his job, his freedom, _everything_ …because he never stopped loving you, not for a second.'

Her voice wavered as she spoke, and the words killed her inside, but she knew she had to keep going. Wyatt deserved this chance to try and recover the marriage he had longed to get back for so long. Lucy could see now that there was indeed a love between Wyatt and Jessica that was almost instinct. She couldn't get in the way of that.

'And all he wants…all that he has wanted…is a chance to show you that,' Lucy finished, gazing at Jessica imploringly.

Before Jessica had time to say anything after Lucy's little speech, none other than Wyatt himself pulled up in Agent Christopher's car.

'Let's go,' he called promptly to them through the open window.

Jessica stared at the car in disbelief. 'Oh, what? _How_?'

'Told you we've been doing this a while,' Lucy said, amused, but her smile faded as the two women looked at each other. 'You in?'

Jessica considered her for a moment, and then nodded slowly.

Lucy didn't know whether she felt relieved or crushed as Jessica walked back past her to join Wyatt in the front of the car, but she took a moment to herself to close her eyes and let out a deep breath. She wasn't aware of Wyatt's eyes on her from the drivers' seat, watching in concern as Lucy simply gazed out at the parking lot in silence for a moment. He couldn't help wondering what had been said between the two women in his short absence…but he relaxed somewhat as Lucy then turned around with a calm expression on her face to get in the back seat of the car. She seemed unusually at ease as she sat down, the tension seemingly disappeared from the air between them. At least Jessica knew the truth now. And Lucy had done the honourable thing in encouraging Jessica to stay with Wyatt, because she knew it was what Wyatt wanted. It had been the right thing to do. Even if it had felt like a knife to the heart.


	31. Slipping Away

**This story concludes 2x05, and also covers 2x06 :)**

* * *

Once they were back in the car and trying to trace where Kennedy could have gone, Jessica suggested checking social media and using facial recognition software – through an Instagram post Rufus and Jiya saw, they subsequently managed to track Kennedy at a house party full of adolescents. Lucy felt deeply uncomfortable as she, Wyatt and Jessica wandered awkwardly into the party, where drunken teenagers were either dancing and singing to loud thumping music, kissing each other, or throwing up in the garden bushes.

'Ah, I see not much has changed since we were in high school,' Jessica said, wiggling her eyebrows as they made their way through the jeering, tipsy crowd, and Wyatt smirked at her.

'Hey, someone's mom is here!' one of the teenagers called out.

Jessica frowned, annoyed. 'Mom, my ass,' she protested, unaware of Lucy jerking her thumb at her.

'All right, you two see if you can find him out here. I'll check inside,' Wyatt said, heading towards the front of the house.

Lucy's eyes then lit up. 'Wait, wait, wait – if we find him, I'll just call you,' Lucy said, and she laughed excitedly. 'Cell phones!'

Wyatt grinned back at her before heading into the house to search for Kennedy, leaving Lucy to awkwardly explain to an irritated-looking Jessica why the use of cell phones during a mission was such a thrilling prospect.

After chasing Kennedy (who was once again trying to escape), and a subsequent shootout with Emma inside the house, Wyatt eventually managed to retrieve Kennedy, and ensured that the party ended with all its attendees unharmed by the frightening events of the night. Lucy watched in relief as Wyatt emerged from the house; she yearned to rush up to him and fling her arms around him, as she often did after they were separated during dangerous missions, but it wasn't her place to do that now. Her eyes stung as she watched Jessica run up to her husband and hug him…though it hurt her more to see the way Wyatt's arms wrapped around Jessica's back and gripped her tightly. This whole evening had been agony for her, and so Lucy was eager to drag Kennedy away from the attractive teenage girl he had accompanied to the party, and get him back to the bunker.

Unfortunately, it soon transpired during their journey back that in his brief adventure out in 2018, Kennedy had learnt a great deal about his future and legacy. Agent Christopher consequently decided to brief him and get him mentally prepared to return to 1934 once they were back at the bunker, and Wyatt was quick to take this opportunity to grab Lucy for a moment to talk.

'Hey, how are you doing?' he asked in a low voice, ushering her over to a corner in the kitchen.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at him. 'My arm's no better than it was this afternoon.'

Wyatt tilted his head at her. 'I wasn't talking about your arm,' he murmured, and he sighed at the disgruntled look on Lucy's face. 'Listen, about what Emma said in the hospital…about your life not mattering to me anymore. You know that's not true, right? You matter to me. A lot. I mean, I can't tell you how much-'

'I know,' Lucy interrupted firmly; she couldn't bear to hear him go into detail, and she tried to smile. 'And…thank you.'

But Wyatt looked confused. 'Then…look, Lucy, why did you tell me to shoot?' he asked, his gaze half-anguished. 'You knew the risk.'

'I knew how good of a shot you are too,' Lucy said airily, and Wyatt rolled his eyes and clasped his hand to his forehead.

'You have too much faith in me,' he muttered.

'Actually, I really don't,' Lucy said, her tone suddenly cold. 'Not anymore.'

Wyatt considered her for a moment then nodded. 'Yeah. That's fair,' he said heavily, and they gazed at each other for a moment, his eyes desperate and agonised. 'Are we… are we gonna be okay?'

'We'll be fine, Wyatt,' Lucy replied, because it was the easiest thing to say, and with that she walked away from him, to join the others by the Lifeboat, where Kennedy was finally ready to leave.

Despite Kennedy having discovered everything about his future, including the Kennedy curse, Rufus somehow managed to cheer Kennedy up, encouraging him to believe that he had the power to change his own fate. However, Rufus's words didn't seem to work…for when Wyatt and Rufus returned – this time with Flynn, who had managed to eliminate the Rittenhouse threat back in 1934 – they were dismayed to find out that Kennedy had still ended up getting assassinated anyway, despite his prior knowledge.

While the others let off their steam about this unfortunate conclusion to their mission with Kennedy, Wyatt led Jessica away to the privacy of his and Rufus's bedroom…well, his and Jessica's bedroom now – Rufus had offered to take the couch for now so Wyatt could get some quality time with his wife. The two of them talked over the evenings' events for a while, blatantly avoiding the elephant in the room until Jessica could take it no longer.

'So, Lucy's pretty awesome,' she said as she sat on the bed, watching Wyatt carefully for his reaction.

'Yeah,' Wyatt agreed, trying to play it cool. 'You should spend more time with her, she's great.'

'Well yeah, I mean, she's very…selfless as well, given that she's stepped aside for me.'

Wyatt looked up at her from the dresser table, frozen. Jessica gave him a wry smile.

'Yeah, me and Lucy talked, outside the hospital,' she said heavily. 'Y'know, when you…escaped the cops.'

'Wh-what did she say?' Wyatt asked tentatively, his voice low and quiet, afraid to hear the answer.

'She didn't have to say anything about you two. I'm not an idiot, Wyatt, c'mon, give me some credit,' Jessica said, and she laughed at his stunned expression. 'It's okay, I'm not mad. It's not like you were having an affair – in your timeline I was…dead. It's cool. But I don't want to get in the way of anything, and I've seen the way you two look at each other and talk about each other.'

Wyatt looked down, ashamed. 'Jess, you're my wife, you could never get in the way of-'

'Please don't give me that crap,' Jessica interrupted firmly. 'I can see how difficult I'm making this, for both of you, just by being here. Are you in love with her?'

There was a short pause.

'That…that is not…n-no,' Wyatt replied, shaking his head as if that would help him try to make it be true.

'Bet that sounded more convincing in your head,' Jessica said sardonically, and he was perplexed as to why she was so amused by this. 'Okay – _were_ you in love with her?'

'I…I don't know. You know, maybe,' Wyatt mumbled, when he knew deep down the answer was an irrevocable ' _yes, a thousand times, yes'_ , and he sighed hopelessly. 'I can't lie to you, Jessica. But you're here now, and it's a miracle. I never thought I'd see you again, I thought I'd lost you, I grieved for _years_ , and now…I love you and you're here, that's all that matters. Me and Lucy…that's in the past.'

'Well you seem to have a habit of going back to the past a lot, don't you?' Jessica pointed out slyly, and Wyatt's lips twitched.

'Was that a time-travel pun? Not cool.'

'Wyatt, I don't want you to feel obliged to stay with me, just because a piece of paper says we're husband and wife,' Jessica said earnestly. 'You're a man of honour, and I can tell you think this is your…'duty' and the right thing to do to be with me, but…'

She trailed off, and for one moment of madness Wyatt considered listening to what she was saying. Perhaps she was right. Perhaps he _had_ idealised their relationship, and was only going back to her out of loyalty. But it was the only thing that made sense…the only thing that was right. Lucy had said so herself.

 _No, stop thinking about Lucy._

This was the right thing to do. Wasn't it?

Wyatt blinked rapidly. 'Are you trying to get me to sign those divorce papers again? Because I won't until we make a proper go of this, and try and make it work,' he said firmly, sitting down on the bed beside her. 'I want to be with you because I lost you and I got you back and I love you. I don't want to beg again, but…'

'You don't need to,' Jessica murmured, and Wyatt's eyebrows shot up in surprise. 'As long as you're sure…about this thing with Lucy being over…then yeah. Let's give this another shot.'

Wyatt began to smile in disbelief. 'What changed your mind?'

'I told you – me and Lucy talked,' Jessica replied simply, shrugging. 'She told me what you were like…the things you did to try and get me back. Kinda made me realise you're not the same man I've known for the past six years. He was a jerk from a different timeline. I wanna get to know _this_ Wyatt. Your ex convinced me I should…which is something I would never have been able to believe.'

Wyatt frowned. 'Lucy's not my ex.'

'Ugh, I don't care about how you label it. But you were something to each other,' Jessica insisted. 'Don't deny it.'

'I'm not.'

Wyatt could never deny what had happened between him and Lucy, and he could never forget it or put it behind him. He knew that, and accepted it. In fact, he embraced it. He never wanted to forget.

Jessica smiled. 'I just hope you two are okay with each other. I hope us three can all…still be friends.'

'Sure we will. It'll be fine,' Wyatt said airily, though he wasn't sure if he believed what he was saying. 'It'll just be like how it was before…only, now my amazing wife is here as well.'

For the first time since Jessica had miraculously come back into his life merely yesterday morning, they then kissed. Only it wasn't quite right. Her lips were different from what he'd remembered…her hand on his cheek not the soft dainty hand of Lucy's that he'd grown to know and cherish. Jessica's kiss had once made him dizzy and overcome with love and lust and devotion, but that had been years ago now…and that had been before Lucy had come along and swept him away.

And suddenly all Wyatt could think of, as he kept his eyes open and frowned slightly at his wife kissing him tenderly now, was Lucy and her elaborately curled hair and her ruby red lips and dazzling eyelashes and the reflection of the firelight in her eyes. All he could see now was her perfect face as she gazed in wonder at him before throwing her arms around him and kissing him full on the mouth in that beautiful guest house, turning his world upside down, only he and Lucy existing, just the two of them, blissfully happy, oblivious to the angst-ridden despair and heartbreak and confusion that would soon befall them…

Wyatt was still dwelling on this as he trudged unhappily on with his towel and toiletries bag towards the bathroom the next day, having been kept awake all night by the worrying fact that he couldn't get Lucy out of his head, even with his resurrected wife snuggled up in his arms beside him. He was so troubled that he didn't even notice a preoccupied Lucy coming out of the bathroom in her dressing gown, and so they both promptly crashed into each other in the doorway.

'Oh!' Lucy gasped, mortified by how her hands had smashed into his chest, and she grabbed his arm. 'God. Sorry.'

'Sorry,' Wyatt said with a soft laugh, equally as flustered, and almost shaken by the fierce spark that had been re-lit between them at their touch.

He too had automatically clutched hold of her arms; he lingered before letting go, and with an awkward glance at him Lucy turned away and kept walking on, her head bent low and her heart racing. Wyatt turned to head on into the bathroom, but then hesitated as he looked back at her retreating figure.

'Lucy,' he said quietly, stepping out from the bathroom doorway to face her.

Lucy paused before turning around – she could tell from the emotional tone in his voice that this was going to be another one of _those_ conversations, and she really couldn't face it again right now – but she forced herself to look politely over at him, though keeping a safe distance. Wyatt's heart faltered slightly as he took in the sight of her; her hair was scraped back in a messy bun, and she was wearing her scruffy pyjamas and dressing gown, her face completely bare of any make-up…and she was breathtaking.

'Thank you,' he said sincerely.

Lucy gazed blankly back at him. 'For what?'

Wyatt hesitated but knew he wanted to be hones. 'Uh, Jessica's giving me a second chance,' he said, walking up to her with a hopeful smile on his face, 'and she said it was 'cause of you.'

There was a pause as Lucy's eyes dropped to the floor; she didn't know what to say, or what to feel. Was she supposed to be delighted at this news? Offer him congratulations that she had been passed over for the wife she'd had to personally convince to give him another shot? All Lucy could feel was yet more pain at Wyatt's words and the loving expression on his face, and she faltered slightly as she tried to come up with something to say.

'Well, the…the history that you two have between you, it's special,' Lucy murmured, forcing herself to meet his eyes. 'And…you deserve to finally be happy, Wyatt.'

Wyatt's smile faded. _I was happy with you, Lucy._ How could she not see that? Did she really believe that he had been unhappy before Jessica had returned? But the damage was already done now – he had made his bed, and now he must lie in it. He couldn't go back, and he couldn't confess anything or pour his heart out to her. He had chosen to give his heart back to Jessica. There was nothing he could say or do to make Lucy see that it had been hers for so long…and that a fierce part of him still wanted it to be hers.

His lip trembled slightly and he took a deep breath as he took a few more steps towards her, closing the distance between them. 'I have no regrets,' Wyatt said, his voice quiet but firm, an earnest look of longing and devotion in his gaze.

It was crucial that Lucy understood this – he wanted her to know that he still cared, that he would never take back anything that had happened between them. He couldn't bear it if she thought anything other than that.

Lucy couldn't smile back, but it was a small comfort to hear him say that. At least it hadn't been for nothing. At least they would both maybe cherish those memories and one day look back on their brief relationship with fondness. After all, it was clear they would both always have genuine compassion for each other, no matter what else was thrown in their way.

'Me neither,' she replied, and she meant it.

Wyatt seemed relieved; her gentle attitude was a welcome change to the perfectly-justified irritated, bitter mood he had encountered previously. He swallowed, unsure of what to do now.

'Well…I'll see you around the bunker,' he said softly, and his lips twitched as he added slyly, 'Baby doll.'

Lucy didn't hesitate before responding, even though it stung her to hear him call her that. 'See you around the bunker…shweetheart,' she said, trying to return his playful grin…although he could see that her smile didn't quite match the look in her eyes.

They both then backed away from each other and turned around, Lucy bowing her head once more as she walked down the corridor. She could vividly remember how they had walked away from each other the last time they had called each other their affectionate nicknames from their trip to Bonnie and Clyde's hideout…back then, they had still been reeling from their first kiss, still dazed by the consequences of their cover story as a mobster couple, on the brink of wondering about 'possibilities'…

Only now those possibilities had disappeared. And that was the end of their story. At least, that was what Lucy had thought…but if she had seen the way Wyatt had now paused and looked longingly back to watch her leave, perhaps she would have thought a little differently.

* * *

Wyatt could vividly remember Lucy's first night in the bunker after he and Rufus had rescued her from Rittenhouse. He had been tossing and turning in his own bed, drifting in and out of consciousness, and yet still the nightmares couldn't stop. Even though they had brought her back, after all this time, he had still been haunted by the image of her fallen handbag, her cracked cell phone, the smashed wine glass…the broken remnants of her belongings that had confirmed her last solid location before her kidnapping. And so Wyatt had done the only thing he could do so that he could sleep at night – he'd scrambled out of bed and hurried down the bunker corridor where he'd opened the door to the ladies' bedroom.

He would never forget how peaceful she had looked, just lying there on her side in her scruffy clothes, her hair shielding her face from view. The thin duvet had been at the foot of her bed, and so Wyatt had laid it out and covered it over Lucy's tiny figure, tucking her in so she could be nice and cosy. He had then knelt down beside her, simply to gaze at her sleeping face, and felt the warmth and overwhelming love flood through him as he'd gently brushed some loose strands of her hair out of her face, before leaning in and kissing her on the forehead. Unaware that his touch had in fact awoken Lucy, who had pretended to remain asleep, Wyatt had then left the room, a soft smile on his face, finally reassured that Lucy was indeed here…that she was okay.

But now, weeks later, Wyatt couldn't do that. He couldn't go to make sure that Lucy was all right, no matter what time or where or why, and no matter how worried he was or how desperate he was just to see her or speak to her. That just wouldn't be right now. And it was taking Wyatt some time to adjust to that saddening fact. He had even tried seeking her out a couple of weeks ago – not knowing what to say, but just needing to talk to her about, well anything – only to see her sat in front of the TV with Flynn lounged in the armchair beside her. They had both been murmuring to each other as they'd shared some beers and watched 'It Happened One Night'…a film that had, coincidentally, been showing the day they'd met Bonnie and Clyde. And so Wyatt had backed away, leaving Lucy to her new choice of company without trying to feel too jealous or possessive or bitter…because all this was his own fault. Well no, the return of his wife wasn't anyone's _fault_ – it was a miracle, of course – but still…it had resulted in difficulties and unwanted tensions.

Nevertheless, Lucy was making every effort to try and make the whole situation as uncomplicated as possible…she wasn't a home wrecker, and she wasn't going to be a reason for ruining Wyatt's happiness, so she was taking a step back. And, although it was hard and painful at first for her to keep her distance around Wyatt and actively avoid being alone with him, it slowly became easier and, well, almost tolerable. She knew she was doing the right thing; the only way they could salvage their friendship from before was to give Wyatt and Jessica space to rekindle their marriage, and consequently give Lucy some time herself to try and move on. An impossible task, it seemed, but Lucy was determined…even with Wyatt gazing at her longingly from the couch or brushing past her in the kitchen or giving her that devastating smile whenever she said something pleasant or mildly humorous around him.

Both Lucy and Wyatt found themselves wishing daily if only they could simply flick a switch and shut their love for each other off. But, alas, it wasn't as easy as that. It was going to take a considerable amount of time and distance before either of them felt remotely close to feeling any less romantically about each other. This was a challenging prospect, particularly with them living together and embarking on various work missions together. Although, as it so happened, Agent Christopher one day presented them with the ideal solution to this problem – she split Lucy and Wyatt up and set them both on separate missions. Lucy had no complaints with this arrangement – in fact, she was secretly rather pleased that she wouldn't be forced to conceal her pain and wear a mask to hide her resentment in front of Wyatt – however, Wyatt was horrified.

The Mothership had jumped to San Antonio, Texas, on November the 23rd, 1936. Connor Mason posited that the sleeper agent would be targeting the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, where Robert Johnson, the father of rock 'n' roll, and Don Law changed the world on that specific date by recording a series of albums. By killing this legendary modern blues singer, Rittenhouse would effectively be wiping out the cultural revolution of the 1960s, the civil rights movement, the fall of Nixon, the end of the Vietnam War, and the entire counterculture. Now that they had successfully managed to add a fourth seat to the Lifeboat, they decided as a group for Connor Mason to accompany them on this mission, as he seemed highly knowledgeable and passionate about Robert Johnson…and Flynn was also to go on the mission, in Wyatt's place.

'What?!' Wyatt exclaimed, when Agent Christopher announced this.

'But why?' Lucy demanded.

'You can't be serious,' Rufus protested, outraged.

'Look!' Agent Christopher snapped sharply, casting them an exasperated look. 'Flynn's already been on a couple of missions. We either start trusting him, or we don't.'

'We don't. We definitely don't!' Rufus insisted.

'Too bad,' Agent Christopher muttered wearily, and she handed Flynn the best gift he could ever hope for…a pistol of his own.

As Flynn admired the gun, Lucy slowly walked over towards him, stood near the Lifeboat. As she did so, she turned back to look at Wyatt; his eyes met hers. She glanced away quickly, her heart missing a beat, and as Wyatt watched her walk out of sight, he mustered himself to approach Flynn, who had just finished loading his new gun.

'Keep them safe,' Wyatt said in a low, serious voice.

'I wouldn't have it any other way,' Flynn said reassuringly, giving Wyatt a wink.

Wyatt took a deep breath as he looked back over at Lucy in concern – she was climbing the steps up onto the Lifeboat, but had paused to glance over her shoulder back at Wyatt. She attempted a small smile at him, before giving up and disappearing inside the capsule. Flynn then hurried over to follow her into the Lifeboat, leaving Wyatt stood alone, away from his team, behind the operations desk where Jiya and Agent Christopher were working. He turned his back to the Lifeboat, unable to watch them leave.

Although Wyatt detested Flynn with a passion, he had to at least acknowledge that they had a shared understanding on one main thing – protecting Lucy. Wyatt just wished that Lucy could have at least said goodbye before hurrying away into the Lifeboat without a single word. These missions were dangerous – they never knew what was going to happen on them. He just had to try and put all his dignity to the side and trust Flynn on this one to keep her alive and unharmed.

Meanwhile, inside the Lifeboat, Lucy was surprised by how unbothered she felt about Flynn replacing Wyatt on another mission. Perhaps that was because she was still feeling a little angry after her uncomfortable encounter with Wyatt in the bunker corridor earlier. She had woken up early in the morning and made her way to go freshen up in the bathroom, only to see Wyatt and Rufus stood in the bathroom doorway, both of them laughing over the new room arrangements for Wyatt and Jessica.

'Look, I owe you, okay?' Wyatt had been saying, chuckling.

'Yeah, well, you might want to use that towel to stuff under the door to stop the, uh…noise,' Rufus had suggested. 'This is still, believe it or not, a work environment.'

It had taken a moment for Wyatt to start laughing in response to Rufus's tasteless joke…but he did. And Rufus did too. But their laughter had faded at once when Lucy appeared out of nowhere, sidling in between the two of them with barely a glance at Wyatt.

'Rufus, why don't you and Jiya take our room for a few nights?' Lucy had offered politely, a forced smile on her face as she passed them into the bathroom. 'I'll be fine on the couch, really. Morning, Wyatt.'

'Hi,' Wyatt had replied gruffly, unable to look her in the eye, and Lucy had then promptly shut the bathroom door on them both.

Even now a few hours later, with all the distractions of San Antonio in 1936, Lucy was still shaken by their exchange. She couldn't believe her two closest friends could be that insensitive. They had been so clueless and unsympathetic towards her feelings, and it made her furious – particularly when Lucy had made it very clear to Wyatt a few weeks ago how painful this situation was for her. They had once been a golden team, the three of them, but now suddenly it felt like it was Wyatt and Jessica and Rufus now…leaving Lucy with Flynn. Not that she seemed to mind this new partnership anymore – in fact, the two of them were eager to pose together as FBI agents, 'Taylor Swift' and 'Justin Timberlake' in their subsequent mission, when they tracked down Robert Johnson. They saved Johnson from a Rittenhouse sleeper agent, but Johnson fled, believing himself to be cursed. Once Lucy had convinced Johnson's producer, Don Law, not to abandon the album, and Rufus and Connor had left to persuade Johnson to return to do the recording, Lucy and Flynn ended up being left alone in the darkened hotel room, with nothing left to do but wait for the others to return. Lucy was perfectly happy to wait in silence as she tried not to dwell over Wyatt…but Flynn had other ideas.

'Lucy,' Flynn said with a sigh, putting on his jacket as he turned to face her. 'I think it's time we, uh…levelled with each other.'

Lucy froze, a lump in her throat. There was something ominous in his tone that made her suddenly fearful; had she been wrong to trust this man after all? It would infuriate her if that was the case – she didn't want Wyatt to have been right all along about Flynn. She glanced up at him warily.

Flynn exhaled deeply. 'I'm way more fun on these missions than Wyatt, right?'

Lucy laughed – a rare thing nowadays – and was stunned to see Flynn grinning in amusement, as if he were pleased that he had put a smile on her face. 'You're delusional,' she said coolly.

She wasn't sure whether she liked Flynn – or anyone, for that matter – mentioning Wyatt so casually like that. And even though she felt angered and betrayed by Wyatt, and she knew Flynn had just been trying to make a joke to lighten the mood, she still couldn't help defending Wyatt.

'Must be, uh…awkward…between you two,' Flynn said after a short pause.

Lucy didn't look at him as she shook her head dismissively. 'It's not awkward between us,' she lied.

'Wyatt and Rufus giggling like schoolboys about Wyatt's late-night activities with Jessica? That wasn't awkward?' Flynn asked tentatively from the bedroom doorway.

Lucy hesitated as Flynn's words struck her. She hadn't realised that Flynn had been near enough the vicinity to overhear their conversation by the bathroom this morning as well. It almost made it more painful to hear it confirmed aloud by someone else, that it had indeed happened.

'Nope,' Lucy replied shortly, still refusing to look at him.

'So that's not why you secretly keep a bottle of vodka under your bed?'

Lucy rounded on him then, appalled and mortified. She had started drinking about ten days ago, after she had accidentally walked in on Jessica sat on Wyatt's lap with her arms wrapped lovingly around his neck. The alcohol comforted her. It got her through the nights. But it had been her secret – her own private way of dealing with her broken heart, and now Flynn was here trying to interfere with that? No thanks.

'Are you spying on me?' she asked him, unimpressed.

'No,' Flynn replied, almost apologetically. 'I do remember…reading about it in your journal.'

Ah, the journal. It then dawned on Lucy that she hadn't explicitly mentioned to Flynn about her and Wyatt's brief romantic relationship before – after all, why would she? – and she highly doubted anyone else would have, when no-one in the bunker seemed to want to spend much time in Flynn's company. And this could only mean that Lucy had – or rather, would one day in the future – write about it in this journal that Flynn was apparently so devoted to. Lucy wondered what Flynn had read about it in there. What did he know of Lucy and Wyatt's interactions? What did he know of what was yet to come? But Lucy would have to try and forget about that pressing worry for now…time would only tell what was written in those mysterious pages.

* * *

Back in 2018, Wyatt had quickly found out moments after the Lifeboat had departed exactly why he'd been kept in the present day – Agent Christopher was putting him on a different mission, to 'take out Rittenhouse for good'. On her orders, Wyatt spent the next few hours on a solo raid of the Rittenhouse facility that she had been held at when Carol Preston had taken her hostage a couple of weeks ago…however, when Wyatt tracked the location to the main headquarters, an explosive was set off in the building, destroying all evidence of the Rittenhouse plans and operations they had held there. In the midst of the blaring alarms and spreading flames and crumbling walls and bits of ceiling, Wyatt then came across none other than Carol Preston, who had been trying to make her escape.

'Hey!' Wyatt shouted, his gun pointed directly at her.

Carol froze, breathing calmly as she gazed back at him, trying to hide her fear. Wyatt stepped urgently towards her, and she tilted her head at him. The alarm blaring around the building was beginning to deafen him, and the burnt orange glow of the spreading fire was stinging his eyes…but all he could focus on was the woman stood before him…the woman who had abducted her own daughter and kept her imprisoned here for six weeks, the woman who had caused so much pain and destruction…

'Take the shot,' Agent Christopher's voice ordered through Wyatt's earpiece.

The world stood still for a moment as Wyatt took another step forward, his gun still aimed at Carol, but he couldn't move his finger on the trigger. He didn't understand what was wrong with him, why he was freezing. He was a soldier, he always obeyed the orders. This was the mission. But this was also Lucy's mother.

He watched as the realisation then dawned on Carol. 'You can't do it, can you?' she said, amazed.

'Take the shot,' Agent Christopher instructed again, this time more urgently.

Wyatt frowned and breathed heavily as he stared back at Carol, unable to move, unable to do anything. Carol was watching him, stunned. Wyatt's finger twitched on the trigger. He couldn't be responsible for killing Lucy's mother, he couldn't. He could never bring himself to cause Lucy any more pain. He knew the damage it would do. He knew how much it would destroy her.

'Take the shot!'

Agent Christopher's persistent yell stung his ear a little bit, but still, Wyatt did nothing. And then suddenly Nicholas Keynes showed up, firing his gun directly at Wyatt; Wyatt dodged to the floor and shot back, but nothing could be done – before he knew it, Carol, Nicholas and Emma had disappeared in the Mothership.

About an hour or so later, Agent Christopher arrived at the remains of the Rittenhouse headquarters to meet Wyatt. The fires had been put out, and although a lot of the evidence had indeed been ruined, Wyatt was confident that they would be able to salvage some intel from the remaining computers. He was determined to try and make amends for letting his emotions get the better of him earlier, but he knew Agent Christopher was never going to let him get away with it without a scolding.

'You could've taken out Carol Preston,' she said, sighing deeply as she turned to face him.

Wyatt paused and looked down at his feet awkwardly. 'My gun jammed,' he said, though he didn't know why – they both knew that was far from the truth.

'You hesitated because it was Lucy's mother,' Agent Christopher said softly, a stern tone to her voice, and Wyatt grimaced.

'Ma'am, I-'

'Carol Preston is the enemy,' Agent Christopher interrupted him sharply. 'Look, whatever's going on between you and Lucy, you need to figure it out, Wyatt, and deal with it.'

Wyatt's drew his eyes away from hers, unable to keep looking at the disappointment and pity in them. He was stunned and annoyed with himself for making such a mistake. What was wrong with him? Why could he not get Lucy out of his head? Why was he letting all thoughts of her get in the way of his job…and his marriage?

'Yes, ma'am,' Wyatt eventually said.

He arrived back at the bunker in time to see that the others had just returned in the Lifeboat.

'Sounds like you guys had fun, huh?' Jiya was saying to the new team, sounding surprised.

Wyatt looked up, exhausted and weighed down by all his gear, and frowned at the sight of Lucy, Rufus, Connor and Flynn stood at the foot of the Lifeboat, looking almost like they were posing for an album cover, with giddy smiles on all their faces. It seemed their mission to save Robert Johnson had gone very successfully.

'Oh, well, yeah, that all depends, though. Were there hippies in the '60s? And a band called Led Zeppelin?' Connor asked anxiously, and Wyatt came to a halt as he stared down the corridor at them all, his heart sinking.

'Duh,' Jiya replied.

Wyatt's face fell as he took in just how closely Lucy and Flynn were stood next to each other, and how both were wearing identical grins, as if they had had the time of their lives. Suddenly Wyatt felt more alone than ever.

'You did it!' Rufus was saying joyfully, and a giggling Lucy reached over to hug Connor.

'Good job,' she murmured to him fondly, still beaming away.

Wyatt stayed stood frozen, watching the new team, and he could feel himself slowly slipping away from the people he had thought closest to him…like he was losing everything. They had done well without him on the mission. They didn't need him anymore. In fact, had they even noticed that he wasn't there? Had they missed him? Wyatt could bet that Lucy certainly hadn't. He was stunned to see how happy Lucy suddenly looked. It was nice and refreshing to see her face so alight, smiling away and looking ecstatic…but it pained Wyatt to realise that her positive mood would probably not have been so if he had been there on the mission with them today. She was happier without him around, much happier. And it made Wyatt feel like he was shrinking.

It took him a moment to register that everyone had then parted to get changed and rested in their rooms. Urgent to catch up with Lucy so that he could talk to her – they hadn't spoken at all today aside from their awkward greeting this morning by the bathroom – Wyatt followed the sound of her heels down one of the corridors. He frowned as he rounded the corner to see that Lucy and Flynn were walking away together, laughing softly to each other, clearly at some in-joke. It was rare to see Flynn smile, and particularly to see him have such a tender look in his eyes. And Wyatt didn't like it one bit.

'Lucy,' he said sharply, an almost accusative tone to his voice.

Lucy and Flynn both stopped walking, and Lucy's wide smile faded instantly as she turned around to see Wyatt stood there, scowling suspiciously at them. She looked over his soldier attire and gear, and concern flooded through her. What had he been doing today?

'Could I talk to you a minute?' Wyatt asked pointedly.

Lucy glanced up at Flynn. She didn't really want to leave his company. It was strange; the two of them seemed to have bonded a great deal today over the course of the mission, which was something she had not been expecting in the slightest. But it was nice, to connect with someone who had gone through similar pain and grief as she had at the hands of Rittenhouse. They had things in common, and Flynn was, unlike the other men in this wretched bunker, sensitive to how she was feeling, and had made it clear that he was there for her, in her time of need and comfort.

Taking in her expression, Flynn nodded and backed away, to leave Lucy and Wyatt to it. Lucy's hand twitched uncomfortably as she gazed back at Wyatt, and then she walked slowly up to him. She didn't exactly hide her reluctance well – it was blatantly clear that all Lucy wanted was more space from him. Wyatt took a few steps towards her too, wishing that her beam hadn't vanished just because he had shown up. He missed her smile, and he hated that he was the reason to make it disappear now.

'What did Agent Christopher have you do?' Lucy asked him curiously as she approached.

Wyatt was so pleased to finally be able to talk to her alone, it took him every effort not to smile. He was stunned; her soft make-up, the way her hair had fallen out of their rigid curls…she looked even more stunningly beautiful than usual. Wyatt almost found it hard to concentrate.

'We found Rittenhouse's headquarters. We hit them hard, they're on the run,' Wyatt replied in a hushed, triumphant voice. 'I just got back.'

'And my mother?' Lucy asked, her eyes wide with fear.

Wyatt hesitated. He yearned to say, _'I had a clear shot but I couldn't kill her because I couldn't cause you any more pain than I already have done. I couldn't take her away from you. I've been such an idiot. Please forgive me.'_

But all he could manage was: 'She got away.'

'Oh,' Lucy murmured, confused; she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

'What about Flynn? You keep him on a short leash?' Wyatt said, smirking.

Lucy paused, almost personally offended by the insinuation, and raised her eyebrows. 'He was actually great,' she admitted, surprised, and Wyatt's smile disappeared. 'He…really came through.'

Wyatt nodded at her uneasily. 'Oh,' he said quietly, his voice breaking, and he swallowed. 'What happened?'

'I'll tell you about it tomorrow,' Lucy replied, forcing a smile. 'I'm-I'm sure Jessica's worried sick.'

Wyatt was confused; why wouldn't she talk about it? She always opened up about any events on missions that he had missed.

'Lucy, come on, I wanna know-' Wyatt insisted, smiling.

'Tomorrow,' Lucy said firmly.

Wyatt's face fell. By repeating just that one word, she had never more clearly established the new boundaries between them.

Lucy wished he wasn't such an idiot sometimes. He still expected things to be the same. Even after Lucy had told him they couldn't be, even after the way she had explicitly distanced herself from him over the past week or so…he still didn't get it.

'Go, be with Jessica,' Lucy urged, still smiling.

She didn't like to shut him down like that, but she felt like she had no choice. She needed to make it clear to Wyatt that he couldn't have both her and Jessica at the same time. Lucy was no longer going to put him first or lean on his shoulder or come to talk to, and he had to accept that. And she needed to put her own happiness and recovery first. That was something Flynn had helped her see today.

Bewildered and hurt by her attitude, Wyatt opened his mouth and began to say something as Lucy turned, a pleasant smile still on her face, but his voice got caught in his throat, and suddenly he was unable to speak. He watched, confused, as Lucy walked away from him, a look of utmost devastation on his face, and in that moment Wyatt realised that he had lost Lucy Preston…maybe for good.

* * *

When he trudged miserably into his and Jessica's room later, the radio blaring away and Jessica's belongings strewn all over the bed and dresser, he found himself unresponsive and distant as his wife embraced him and planted his face with fond little kisses. It came as a relief when she left briefly to fetch her toiletries bag from the bathroom…letting his guard down, Wyatt sank onto their bed, his face in his hands. He couldn't stop thinking of the way Lucy had been smiling around the others just now…or how her smile had faded at the mere sight of him…or the way she had rebuffed him. As if that wasn't enough to plague his mind…he was still haunted by how Lucy had overheard him and Rufus joking about his and Jessica's sex life this morning. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. He was so ashamed by how he had acted then, by how insensitive he had been to talk about that sort of thing within Lucy's earshot. The subject made him uncomfortable anyway, even without Lucy in the picture.

Irritated by the upbeat rock music playing on Jessica's radio, Wyatt then switched the dial to change channels…only to freeze when he heard the slow ballad Nat King Cole was crooning through the speakers…'You Made Me Love You'. Wyatt's lips parted as he got a fleeting image of Lucy stood up on that podium in the beautiful golden flowing gown, with her hair in curls and her lips a dark red as she sang this very song, pouring her heart out to the man stood at the far end of the room, watching in awe… He could vividly remember the way both their eyes had filled with tears as they gazed at each other once she had finished the song, both of them overcome with emotion.

'Ugh, can you turn that off?'

Wyatt jumped; he hadn't realised that Jessica had returned to the room. She was casting the radio a disgruntled look.

'Why?' Wyatt asked, frowning.

'Well, it's a bit…y'know…' Jessica muttered in a judgemental sort of way.

'No, I don't,' Wyatt said coldly, turning away from her as he gazed back at the radio, trying to focus on the lyrics of the song that made him feel so warm and yet so sad inside.

Jessica raised her eyebrows. 'All right, jeez. Keep it on, if you like it so much.'

And so Wyatt reached forward to turn the volume of the radio up, and he continued to listen to the gorgeous melody, lost in the memory of the night he wished more and more he could go back to…the night he knew he would treasure forever.


	32. The Deductions of Mrs Sherlock Holmes

**This chapter covers the first half of 2x07 :)**

* * *

Wyatt rose earlier than usual the next morning, having had a troubled sleep and wanting to take a moment away from his prying wife, and he quietly left their room to get a quick shower. If he had stayed in bed just a few minutes longer, he wouldn't have noticed Lucy come out of Flynn's bedroom. But he did.

He froze in the corridor as he watched her, horrified, close Flynn's door and walk away in the other direction. Wyatt exhaled deeply. Lucy had been wearing the same clothes as she had the day before. She must have stayed in Flynn's room all night. She and Flynn must have…

'No,' Wyatt muttered to himself in disbelief, and he shook his head as he began to walk on towards the bathroom.

As he washed, Wyatt tried determinedly to push all thoughts of Lucy and Flynn to the side, but it was hard. He couldn't stop picturing the two of them together, and it made his blood boil. He couldn't believe this. He couldn't believe that she was moving on…and with _Flynn_ , of all people. It was Wyatt's worst nightmare. As he finished off in the bathroom, trying desperately not to shake in fury, Wyatt glanced at the broken wall tile where he had smashed it in his frustration to find Lucy, a couple of months ago. It was still there. Even in this new timeline where Wyatt had had a wife, he had still been lost in a frenzied state of constant anger and fear over Lucy's unknown fate.

There was then a knock at the bathroom door.

'Come in,' Wyatt said, glaring at himself in the mirror…and he grinded his knuckles, livid, as he saw Flynn's reflection stood beside him as he wandered into the bathroom, a towel over his shoulder.

'Hey,' Flynn greeted casually, completely unaware that Wyatt was wishing he could beat him to a pulp at this very moment. 'Any hot water left?'

But Wyatt ignored the question. 'Stay the hell away from her,' he said quietly, unable to look at Flynn, as he dried his hands with his towel.

There was a short pause.

'Oh, you mean…Lucy?' Flynn asked, a slightly smug tone to his voice, as Wyatt collected up his toiletries, still furiously not looking at him. 'You know she's not your wife, right?'

At this, Wyatt looked up and his burning eyes met Flynn's in the reflection of the mirror.

'That's the, uh, blonde lady just down the hall,' Flynn went on, grimacing, and he raised his eyebrows. 'Unless history's changed again.'

It was Flynn's soft laugh and self-satisfied smirk that made Wyatt feel like punching the wall again, and he realised then that he had never detested anyone as much before.

'I'm warning you,' Wyatt said in a tremoring, ominous voice, as he glared at Flynn's reflection.

'What is it you want from her, Wyatt? Because if you have a problem, I suggest you talk to Lucy about it,' Flynn said coolly. 'She's perfectly capable of making her own choices. Don't you think?'

Wyatt watched, that familiar self-loathing creeping back into his system, as Flynn looked away and walked past Wyatt to unload his toiletries in the bathroom. Swearing loudly, Wyatt grabbed his things and stormed out, slamming the door loudly behind him. He hated Flynn for being right. He hated Flynn for pointing out how unreasonable he was being. He hated Flynn for being the person Lucy had chosen to go to.

 _What is it you want from her?_ Wyatt didn't know the answer to that, but it certainly wasn't this.

'Hi, Wyatt.'

Wyatt stopped in his tracks. He hadn't realised he'd been about to walk right into Lucy herself, who had appeared in the corridor, wearing her dressing gown and carrying her toiletries bag.

'Oh, h-hey,' Wyatt said distractedly, trying to force a smile as he avoided her gaze.

Lucy frowned. 'Are you all right?' she asked.

'Never better,' Wyatt replied loudly, a bright tone to his voice that had never sounded more fake. 'You?'

'I'm…well, unbelievably tired, but other than that-'

'I'm sure you are,' Wyatt muttered bitterly, his false smile vanishing instantly, and Lucy gave him a funny look, confused.

'Is…the bathroom free, do you know?'

'Uh, no, actually, Flynn's in there. Though not sure if that makes a difference to you, who knows?' Wyatt said, shrugging, and he forced a laugh.

'Err, Wyatt?' Lucy said, bewildered. 'Are you sure you're okay?'

There was a short silence. Wyatt's face had fallen, his eyes pitiful, his expression apologetic as he opened his mouth to try and say something…to talk to her honestly about the raging emotions going through him at this new development between her and Flynn…but he couldn't find the words. Lucy tilted her head at him, perplexed by the way he had paused with an almost scared, uncomfortable look on his face. She took a step towards him…but then backed away when they heard the bounding footsteps from around the corner.

'Hey guys!' Rufus greeted, who also seemed to be trying to put on a light and breezy front as he approached them, and he grimaced as the three of them stood there awkwardly. 'Aw look at us, it's the original Time Team back together.'

Lucy raised her eyebrows at him, bemused. '"Time Team"?'

'Yeah, didn't you know that's what we're called? Me and Jiya came up with it, like, waaay last year,' Rufus said enthusiastically. 'I even came up with a song-'

'That's a cool story, dude, I'm gonna go get dressed,' Wyatt interrupted, and with that he brushed past them and walked away without a backwards glance, heading off towards his room.

Rufus frowned as Wyatt disappeared around the corner. 'What's his problem?'

'I have absolutely no idea,' Lucy replied honestly, completely stunned, as she stared at the spot where Wyatt had been.

Wyatt groaned to himself as he shut himself inside his and Jessica's room, and he sank onto the bed, glad that Jessica had left to get breakfast. He knew he was being way out of line. He had no right to be jealous or angry. But he also knew that he had no reason to trust Flynn. This man had tried to harm and kill each member of their team, including Lucy, multiple times. He only wanted to protect her from that.

It came as a huge relief to him when the alarms blared out across the bunker a few hours later, to signal that the Mothership had jumped again. Ever since seeing Lucy and the others looking so happy and triumphant after their mission without him yesterday, Wyatt had been desperate to get back in the Lifeboat and prove his worth…and, well, quite honestly, just to be back doing the job he loved doing with Lucy and Rufus. They hadn't been out on a mission together since Hollywood, and that seemed like a lifetime ago. So much had happened since then. He could put his irritation with Lucy to the side for now; he missed working with her too much to let his petty anger get in the way of that.

The Mothership had jumped to March the 4th, 1919, in New York – Woodrow Wilson's last day in the United States before traveling to Paris to negotiate the world-changing Treaty of Versailles. Lucy and Rufus immediately ran up the steps into the Lifeboat to prepare to set off; Wyatt urgently hurried after them…but he wasn't the only one.

'Whoa, whoa, whoa,' Flynn protested, as he pushed the steps back up to the Lifeboat.

'Hey. Where do you think you're going?' Wyatt demanded, scowling.

'1919?' Flynn said, as if it were obvious.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows at him. 'Yeah, we're good, thanks,' he said dismissively, backing away into the Lifeboat.

'Wyatt!' Agent Christopher said sternly from the operations desk.

Jessica watched agitatedly as Wyatt stepped out onto the steps, looking irritable. She couldn't understand why he had been acting so odd lately…though she had an inkling she might suspect why, in the form of the attractive historian sat waiting impatiently inside the Lifeboat this very moment.

'Uh, yeah, we're a team already,' Wyatt said to Agent Christopher, gesturing to his two co-workers back in the Lifeboat. 'We're the Beatles. We don't need Yoko.'

'You do realize there were four members of the Beatles, don't you?' Flynn said dryly, and Wyatt glared at him.

'We've got four seats now, and you can use the backup. We're not leaving one empty,' Agent Christopher said firmly.

'Well, bring Mason!' Wyatt suggested, a hint of desperation in his voice.

Connor grimaced. 'Uh, how do I put this…-?'

'Hell no?' Jiya offered for him.

'Yeah.'

'Flynn's going. End of discussion,' Agent Christopher said, frowning at Wyatt.

Flynn shrugged at Wyatt as he moved past him. 'She's the boss. Oh, don't forget to say goodbye to your wife,' he added in a whisper, gesturing at Jessica stood at the far end of the room.

He walked past him and into the Lifeboat before Wyatt was able to punch him in the face, and he turned heavily to face Jessica, whom, admittedly, he had almost forgotten was there. He waved awkwardly at her; Jessica wiggled her fingers back at him, an unimpressed smile on her face. When Wyatt clambered through into the Lifeboat, he was horrified to see that Flynn was in his seat, leaving only the additional fourth one. It was unbelievably squished in here with four seats now…Wyatt wished there could still just be three, for the original team. He partly wished life with them could go back to how it was before Hollywood.

'What was taking you guys so long?' Lucy said, as she fumbled with her seatbelts; Wyatt immediately dived forward but Flynn beat him to it and quickly began to help buckle her in, making Wyatt's nostrils flare.

'Your Wyatt was busy trying to build a case insisting that I wasn't needed. It failed,' Flynn said simply, as Wyatt shuffled irritably into the fourth seat.

'Oh, Wyatt, c'mon, we've been over this a dozen times already,' Lucy said exasperatedly. 'Get your priorities straight, this is the fate of the Treaty of Versailles we're dealing with here, we don't have time for-'

'Are you serious?' Wyatt said incredulously, furious at her attitude. 'Am I the only one who remembers what this psycho has done?! He kidnapped you, Lucy, he shot Abraham Lincoln in the back of the head right in front of you! How are you guys so calm when we have this monster interfering-'

'Flynn is _not_ a monster, he has changed from who he was before,' Lucy said through gritted teeth, glaring angrily at Wyatt, 'and he isn't interfering, he's helping!'

Wyatt exhaled deeply in frustration and clasped his hand to his head. He felt completely lost, like he was screaming and no one was hearing him. Flynn leaned over to Wyatt and cleared his throat.

'Look, Wyatt, I fully acknowledge that I have done things in our recent past that are, well, to put it lightly…questionable,' Flynn said awkwardly, and Lucy and Wyatt exchanged a look. 'But you're looking at this from some moral high-ground where you view everything as black and white, and…I am not fundamentally 'evil', as you would put it. There is a morally grey area around the things I did-'

'Killing isn't morally grey,' Wyatt interrupted, an angry tremor in his voice.

Flynn frowned and tilted his head at him. 'Correct me if I'm wrong, but you are a solider – your job is literally to kill.'

'Guys!' Lucy said sharply, as Wyatt opened his mouth to retort back. 'I've had enough of this!'

'She's not the only one!' Rufus said irritably from the pilots' seat. 'Just try and act like mature adults for once so we can get our asses to 1919.'

And so Wyatt and Flynn begrudgingly fell silent and spent the bumpy journey to 1919 casting each other suspicious glances, neither of them wanting to be near the other. After managing to steal and change into some clothes, the four of them immediately headed over to the York Hotel, where Woodrow Wilson was staying. Wyatt was still disgruntled as they entered the grand reception of the building; he had hoped he would have gotten the chance to help choose an outfit for Lucy, as he normally did, but Flynn had somehow already managed to find her an elegant black dress and hat that suited and emphasised the stunning, powerful woman that she was. It seemed that Flynn really was Wyatt's replacement. He was Lucy's person now. And it destroyed Wyatt to see it happening before his very own eyes.

When they heard the gunshot from upstairs, chaos immediately broke out in the reception hall. Amidst the pandemonium, the team tried to determine what exactly had happened, but it was trickier said than done.

'I'm gonna find out what's going on,' Flynn said.

Wyatt rolled his eyes. 'Yeah, I got it.'

'No, I don't mind,' Flynn insisted.

'I said I got it!' Wyatt snapped at once.

Fed up with the tension and petty bickering, Lucy then turned on her heel and rushed up to the nearest police officer. 'Excuse me! Excuse me, Officer, was…was President Wilson shot?' Lucy asked the officer despairingly, as the others hurried up to join her.

'Sir, please control your wife,' was the officer's blunt reply, as Flynn approached her side.

Flynn grimaced awkwardly as Lucy turned away from the officer, appalled and offended. Neither of them noticed Wyatt's broken expression as he gazed in anguish between the two of them. He was absolutely horrified that a complete stranger would automatically assume that Lucy and Flynn were a couple. Although…maybe they were now, in secret. There was no denying what he had seen this morning…Lucy, in the same clothes as the day before, her hair rumpled and messy, emerging sleepily from Flynn's bedroom, hurrying away as quietly as she could before anyone could see.

They soon found out from a nearby journalist that Senator Wadsworth was the one who had been shot, and the police had arrested a 'militant' suffragette by the name of Alice Paul on suspicion of his murder. Wyatt knew at once from the look of horror on Lucy's face that the name Alice Paul meant something, and she quickly revealed why: Alice Paul was one of the most influential women in American history who had led the Suffragette movement, ultimately getting women the right to vote, and had led the National Women's Party for the next 50 years. President Wilson was due to arrive at the hotel this afternoon, during which Alice was meant to give her famous speech, which changed his mind to support the 19th Amendment. If Alice wasn't able to give that speech today, then there was no telling when women would get the right to vote.

'Okay. So we got to get Alice out of jail,' Wyatt said, exchanging a nod with Lucy, once she had finished explaining everything to them.

'I'm gonna head out and find the sleeper,' Flynn said decisively, and Lucy smiled and nodded at him in agreement.

'Easy, tiger,' Wyatt said dismissively, frowning at him. 'You're here for backup, that's it.'

Flynn glared at him. 'Oh, I'm sorry…I didn't realize, since you were so busy taking off your personal days,' he murmured slyly, and Wyatt scowled furiously at him, looking ready to argue some more.

'Guys, hello?' Lucy said incredulously, annoyed with the pair of them. 'Alice, the speech. Today.'

'All right, Lucy and I will get Alice out of jail. Rufus – you and Flynn find the sleepers,' Wyatt said, and they split up to their separate destinations.

As Lucy and Wyatt made their way to the police station, Wyatt couldn't help noticing how troubled Lucy seemed. The ramifications of this sleeper cell's mission to change the fate of the suffragette movement seemed to be hitting her particularly hard.

'You doing okay?' Wyatt asked, watching her in concern as they walked hurriedly along the busy pavement.

'Me? I'm fine,' Lucy said agitatedly, frowning, as she marched ahead. 'Why?'

'Just…you seem a little…'

Lucy sighed. 'I'll be fine once we get Alice out of jail.'

'And we will. Try not to worry. Let's…talk about something else,' Wyatt suggested, as they rounded a corner, and Lucy's eyebrows shot up sceptically.

'Or we could just walk in silence.'

'Really?' Wyatt said, rolling his eyes. 'Wow.'

'Sorry…go on. I just don't know what to talk about you with you anymore,' Lucy admitted, straightening her hat as they crossed the road.

'Just…normal stuff, like we did before,' Wyatt insisted. 'Uh, like…what do you think of my hair?'

'Your hair?'

Lucy gave him a sceptical sideways glance. She had noticed on their way to the hotel that Wyatt had swept his hair to the side – admittedly, she preferred it how it normally was, with his fringe. She hadn't asked why he'd changed it, and it had taken her a lot of effort not to mention it…but they couldn't be teasing around each other anymore. At least, as far as she was concerned…it wouldn't be right. And although Lucy appreciated that Wyatt was trying to lighten the mood, it really wasn't helping.

'I changed it a bit. Thought it more appropriate for the time period,' Wyatt replied, his cheeks reddening as he ran a hand through his hair subconsciously.

'Well, the transformation is unbelievable,' Lucy said sardonically.

'Right. Gotcha,' Wyatt said with a soft laugh, and he smirked at her; Lucy tried but failed not to smile back. 'You think Rufus will be all right with Flynn?'

'Of course he will,' Lucy replied, frowning. 'Flynn's part of the team now, he's been with us on multiple missions and he's had our backs. I don't know why you're still so worried about him.'

'I…' Wyatt began, but then he broke off exasperatedly. 'No, I'm not going to even bother. No point is there?'

Lucy scowled at his tone. 'What does that mean? Wyatt?' she said sharply.

But Wyatt ignored her as he indicated the police station building before them. 'C'mon, we're here now.'

Once inside the station and after a very unhelpful discussion with the officer guarding the front desk, Lucy and Wyatt went through into the back offices to locate Grace Humiston, otherwise known as 'Mrs. Sherlock Holmes' – a famously brilliant lawyer and investigator the NYPD frequently used to solve crimes they couldn't crack or cast aside.

They tapped on the door of the visitors' hall, and entered to find Grace Humiston stood there behind her desk, preoccupied as she wrote in a notebook. Wyatt closed the door behind them, and watched Lucy endearingly as her face lit up in awe. He loved how starstruck she always was by these historical figures that she adored so much.

'Mrs. Humiston?' Lucy said tentatively.

Grace Humiston looked up and glanced quickly between Lucy and Wyatt. 'Sorry, I don't take romantic disputes,' she said, and Wyatt's eyes widened as he exchanged an awkward look with Lucy, whose mouth had fallen open in shock. 'If you want my advice, you have better things to do than waste your time and your keen intellect on a married man, even if he is a soldier and a war hero.'

Lucy had never felt more uncomfortable in her life.

Wyatt frowned suspiciously at Grace. 'How'd you know I was a soldier?'

'You carry yourself like a soldier, always checking behind you. And you're clearly not a cop, but you're carrying a concealed weapon into a police station,' Grace explained, her pen poised ready to continue writing, and Lucy smirked at the amazing skills of the woman before them.

'The other stuff?' Wyatt asked quietly, wondering if he really wanted to hear the answer.

'You're wearing a wedding ring, she's not. She's trying to keep her distance from you, you're trying to get closer,' Grace replied, and Lucy's face faltered. 'And I'm betting he didn't tell you about the wife, either, but that one's…just a guess.'

Wyatt frowned, annoyed. 'Okay, you know, it's a little more complicated than that-' he began defensively, but she cut over him.

'Your keen intellect I deduced from the fact that you came here looking for me,' Grace went on briskly, glancing at Lucy. 'You must read the papers.'

'I do,' Lucy said, laughing softly, dazed. 'And you are just incredible. Um, a role model. Ahead of your time.'

'Why are you here?' Grace asked sharply.

'Oh, uh, of course. Uh, we're here because there was a woman who was arrested for a crime she did not commit. Alice Paul?' Lucy said hopefully, taking a step forward to Grace.

'I'm well-acquainted with Alice Paul and her antics,' Grace said wearily, turning back to write in her notebook. 'What did she do now?'

As soon as Lucy revealed that Alice had been accused of murder, Grace was happy to help…only the sexist police officer at the front desk was less than willing to let them speak to Alice.

'I need to see Miss Paul, please,' Grace said, after numerous attempts at clearing her throat had finally got his attention.

'Sure, Grace,' the officer replied sarcastically, not looking at her. 'Can I get you a coffee or anything to eat before we go?'

'Ten minutes. I'm asking nicely,' Grace said, a fixed smile on her face.

'Sorry, no can do,' the officer said dismissively. 'Chief's orders. Cops – _real_ cops – only.'

Grace's smile faded. 'Well, if memory serves, another one of the chief's orders is no drinking on the job, right, Lou? Do you want me to check your top right drawer and see what I find?' she said coolly.

The officer immediately stopped typing on his typewriter, and slammed the top drawer of his desk shut. Impressed, Wyatt automatically turned to Lucy and caught her eye; they both grinned at each other before quickly turning away, flustered. That was the first genuine moment they'd shared in weeks, and both of them were shaken by how much it made Lucy's heart rate, and how much it made Wyatt's insides tingle.

Lucy was still going over Grace's words from earlier in her mind… _'She's trying to keep her distance from you. You're trying to get closer.'_ Lucy hadn't noticed that before, but then again, she wasn't an expert in these matters like Mrs. Sherlock Holmes. Why was Wyatt trying to get closer to her? Did he still not understand their situation?

The three of them were given five minutes with Alice Paul, during which they came to conclude what they'd already pretty much known – Alice hadn't murdered the senator, and the gun had been planted in her room. However, Lucy wasn't impressed with the way Grace treated Alice, and became even less pleased with Grace's attitude when it soon became apparent that Grace firmly disagreed with Alice's cause and the suffragette movement completely, believing their speeches and marches to be pointless and troublesome. Grace then left Lucy and Wyatt briefly to talk to Detective Riley about what Alice had revealed to her, and while the two of them waited in the station reception, Lucy sighed irritably.

'Not how you pictured her?' Wyatt asked, as he leant against one of the desks.

'Not exactly,' Lucy replied, her tone heavy with disappointment, as she folded her arms.

'She's entitled to her point of view, Lucy.'

'Yeah, well, her point of view is wrong,' Lucy said, half-jokingly.

Wyatt chuckled as he leant off the table, shaking his head, but there was something different about his laugh somehow – it sounded more bitter than amused. And she didn't like the way he stepped away from her, averting his eyes, clearly resisting the urge to say something.

Lucy tilted her head at him. 'What?' she demanded.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows. 'Nothing,' he replied in a dry tone, almost forgetting that Lucy could read him like an open book.

'No, something,' Lucy insisted, frowning. 'Tell me.'

There was a pause as Wyatt turned to face her, his hands in his jacket pockets, looking devastatingly handsome – even the swept-back hair was starting to work on her. Considering her for a moment, Wyatt then stepped forward irritably, closing the distance between them in merely a few strides.

'You want to talk? Fine, let's talk. I saw you this morning,' Wyatt said accusingly in a hushed voice, and his voice broke slightly on the last sentence.

Lucy looked back at him, confused. 'Saw me what?' she asked innocently.

'Coming out of Flynn's room.'

Lucy's lips parted, and she began to flounder.

'Flynn, for God's sakes?' Wyatt said in disgust, and Lucy closed her mouth as she stared back at him defensively, furious at him for jumping the gun and taking this so personally. 'The terrorist who spent all last year trying to kill us? Look, I know the Jessica thing was a little unexpected, and-and maybe you're on the rebound or something-'

'Rebound?' Lucy interrupted coldly, frowning at him, a sceptical expression on her face. 'I'm sorry, from what – our one-night relationship?'

Wyatt tried to pretend that her words hadn't just crushed him. 'That is not what I meant,' he said quietly. 'I just meant that you are making a _big_ mistake.'

'What I do and who I do it with is none of your damn business,' Lucy spat, furious with him, and just then the office door in front of them opened and Grace stepped out.

Grace took one look at Wyatt, who was pacing away from Lucy irritably, his hand on his chin, to Lucy, who had turned her back on Wyatt with pursed lips, her arms folded.

'What on earth happened between you two?' Grace asked, frowning.

Neither of them answered; they simply glimpsed back at the other before turning quickly away, both still too angry to speak another word on the subject.

As the three of them left to visit the hotel to question the bellboy, Lucy's mind couldn't help going over the bizarreness of her tense exchange with Wyatt. She couldn't understand why he had reacted so badly to simply assuming that she had slept with Flynn – so what if she had? She wasn't Wyatt's property…he couldn't toss her aside for his wife and then insinuate that she wasn't allowed to move on as well…At the end of the day, no matter what may or may not have happened between her and Flynn last night, Wyatt had no right to be jealous, or to demand an explanation. He had no right at all.

Wyatt knew this himself – he was yelling at himself internally for bringing the subject up at all and making it such a big deal – but it wasn't just the jealousy that was consuming him. The simple fact was that he didn't trust Flynn one bit – after all, how could he after everything that man had done and put them all through over the past year? – and he was always going to be protective of Lucy. He just wanted to make sure that she was safe…and being with Flynn didn't exactly tick that box. Although maybe it did. Maybe she was right and Flynn _had_ changed and he wanted to protect her just as much as Wyatt did. But Wyatt knew that wasn't possible. No one cared as deeply about Lucy as he did. He just wished he'd realised that himself before he'd let her go so easily and choosing Jessica without really thinking it through. Perhaps if he had, they would all be in a very different situation right now.

Lucy and Wyatt tried to put the differences behind them for now as they accompanied Grace in her interrogation of the hotel bellboy about the events of this evening, but it turned out that she didn't need their help at all – after a little persuasion, the bellboy confessed that he had received a note offering him a great deal of money if he told Detective Riley that he had seen Alice Paul in the hotel. Once they had retrieved the note from him, they returned to the police station to see if Alice would be able to identify the handwriting…only it soon transpired when they arrived at her cell that Alice would no longer be able to help them with anything.

She was dead.

'N-no…' Lucy whimpered despairingly, staring down at Alice's body in disbelief.

'What happened here? Who else has come in here since we left?' Wyatt demanded of the guard by the door.

While they talked, Lucy dropped down to her knees as she gazed in anguish at Alice, the saviour of women and the suffrage movement…dead decades before her time. She had wrongfully died at the hands of Rittenhouse, without even seeing her cause for women's vote triumph. What were they going to do now? Coming out of her devastated reverie, Lucy then caught a few words of what was being discussed.

'It is most unfortunate, but we ought to leave so they can take the body away,' Grace was saying in a cool tone.

Lucy turned around and frowned up at her. 'How are you so calm right now? Do you know what this _means_ , with Alice gone?' she asked, a tremor in her voice as her eyes began to well up.

'Women die every day, I deal with this on a regular basis,' Grace replied, as if she were simply talking about the weather. 'Forgive me if I don't seem emotionally attached-'

'This isn't just any random woman, Ms. Humiston, this is Alice Paul!' Lucy said furiously, hitching up the skirts of her dress and rising to her feet. 'The suffragettes needed her, today is our only chance!'

Grace just stared at her, bewildered. Wyatt took a step towards Grace, a slight frown on his face.

'Could you give us a minute?' he asked quietly, gesturing Lucy.

Grace nodded. 'Of course. I'll be just outside.'

She backed away with the guard, and they closed the door, leaving Lucy and Wyatt shut inside with Alice.

'Lucy, I…maybe it's best not to look at her,' Wyatt said gently. 'At least she's at peace now-'

'No, she's not,' Lucy murmured, her tone empty as she stared into the cell without really seeing anything. 'Women still haven't got the vote. That was her main aim in life, it was supposed to be her main achievement in life, but now she's gone and the entire timeline has been ruined because of it. God knows how long it'll take now till women get the vote. This will change everything.'

'M-maybe we can get someone else to do the speech,' Wyatt said hopefully. 'Someone who's part of the campaign, you know, taking part in the march.'

'But Alice was their leader, it was all Alice, it…' Lucy trailed off then and to her utter embarrassment she began to cry; she glanced apologetically at Wyatt, who looked startled and at a loss with what to do. 'I'm sorry, it's just…it's not fair. She wanted to change the world, and she was meant to do that. Now everything I've learnt about her is just a memory because it's never going to happen. It's one of the main things I hate about this job.'

'Yeah, it sucks,' Wyatt said heavily, taking a few steps towards her; he wished he could hold her in his arms to comfort her in her distress, but he knew he couldn't do that anymore, and it killed him inside. 'I'm really sorry, Lucy. I know she means a lot to you…well, I know this whole thing does. I just…I just find it…unbelievable. I can't get my head around it.'

'What d'you mean?' Lucy asked quietly, sniffing as she wiped a tear away.

'Well it's just bizarre that women can't even vote, I don't get it. Doesn't make sense at all. And, y'know, the way Grace is treated here, they all look down on her and treat her like some incompetent slave when she's clearly way smarter than all those douches put together,' Wyatt said, frowning. 'It's just…it makes me so mad, but then I can't help wondering…what would I be like if I was brought up in the early 1900's? Y'know, would I be the same as that jackass officer out there?'

'No. You wouldn't,' Lucy murmured.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows sceptically at her. 'You don't know that.'

'I know you,' Lucy said softly. 'And I know that…no matter whatever time period you came from…you wouldn't treat a woman badly.'

Wyatt's eyes met hers, and to his pleasant surprise the tear-filled gaze that met his wasn't bitter or angry or irritated…instead, it was tender and affectionate, just like the way she'd used to look at him…and it warmed him to his very core. His lips parted as he took in her expression, but then he swallowed as the guilt at her words suddenly overwhelmed him.

'I've treated _you_ badly, Lucy,' he mumbled, and he looked down at his feet, ashamed.

'That's different,' Lucy protested, and she sighed in dismay. 'I can't believe she's gone. I…I don't know what we're going to do, it's not long till the march.'

Wyatt hesitated for a moment. 'We'll make it up as we go. C'mon, let's make a move,' he said.

He put a hand on the small of her back to guide her away from Alice's cell without thinking, before pulling away hastily. He frowned as he then noticed the way Lucy's lips had twitched.

'What? Why are you smiling?' he asked curiously, laughing in bemusement…and he realised then that he hadn't laughed genuinely like that for quite some time now.

Lucy rolled her eyes. She wished she hadn't let herself smile in front of him, not when she was still so furious at him for his earlier comments about her and Flynn. But she was upset and vulnerable…and it was hard sometimes to keep her guard up, especially when Wyatt was trying so hard to be there for her.

'"Make it up as we go". That's how we survived our mission to the Hindenburg, remember?' Lucy said, suddenly full of nostalgia, as Wyatt led her towards the door.

'Yeah. Of course I do,' Wyatt replied, and he gave her a fond smile.

They then paused by the door, both of them lost in each others' eyes, and their smiles faded as Wyatt's eyes dropped automatically to Lucy's lips. He exhaled deeply as he realised that Flynn had no doubt kissed those lips all last night. Lucy swallowed and looked down, unable to focus under the scrutiny of his gaze.

She began shaking her head and backing away from him, almost fearfully. 'Sorry, I…we shouldn't be-'

'Lucy, what?' Wyatt said desperately. 'No, this is nice, this is the first time you and I have-'

But he was interrupted by the door to the cells swinging loudly open; Grace Humiston was stood there, looking impatient and exasperated.

'Are you two done? Or do you need some extra time to…mourn the person you just met today?' she asked sharply.

Mumbling apologies, mortified, Lucy and Wyatt followed her out into the station reception. There were still tear streaks on Lucy's face from where she had cried over Alice; Grace was appalled and bemused. Wyatt put his hand on Lucy's arm, but Lucy subtly moved away so that they weren't touching; she was instantly regretting their brief moment of bonding in that cell room, particularly after their heated exchange about Flynn earlier. Lucy had never felt more confused.

'I'm gonna go talk to the guard out front to find out exactly what happened here,' Wyatt said quietly to her, pretending not to notice the way she had shrugged away from his gentle hold of her arm. 'Are you all right if I leave you here with Mrs. Benedict Cumberbatch or whatever?'

'Of course I am. Go,' Lucy urged, trying to sound casual.

They glanced at each other awkwardly, both still a little flustered, and then Wyatt turned and walked away; Lucy watched him go. She barely heard Grace as she suggested they go to wait for further updates in the visitors' hall. As the two women walked back down the station corridor together, Grace tutted in amazement at the dazed look in Lucy's eyes.

'I honestly can't make you two out,' she said, sounding irritated and disappointed in herself. ' _Does_ he even have a wife?'

'Uh, sorry?' Lucy said absently, blushing.

'I was so sure before, but…maybe he keeps wearing the ring for sentimental reasons. Is he widowed? He strikes me to has known a personal tragic loss. Perhaps he feels guilty for falling in love with someone else, even though his wife is deceased,' Grace said speculatively. 'Or is it more complicated than that?'

Lucy raised her eyebrows and sighed sadly. 'Oh, you have no idea.'


	33. Jealousy and Boundaries

**This chapter covers the last part of 2x07 :)**

* * *

'Speeches and marches don't change the world. Never have, never will.'

Grace Humiston's dismissive words kept ringing through Lucy's mind as they hurried over to meet the other suffragettes who were preparing to march. After announcing Alice Paul's tragic death to her followers, Lucy and Wyatt stepped forward, posing as Alice's former lawyers, to try and encourage the suffragettes to go on with their original plan…but it seemed to be no use.

'We believe that she would want us to keep fighting. We have the notes for her speech for this afternoon,' Lucy said determinedly, addressing them all, trying to stop her hands from shaking. 'Who will stand up and help us fight to keep Alice's legacy alive?'

There was a short silence as the suffragettes lowered their eyes. Wyatt felt so sorry for Lucy as he saw her look around the room hopefully, but no one raised their hand. And then one of the women stepped forward to speak up.

'I appreciate that you came, but Alice was special. I-I think we all need some time.'

'No, there's no time. The President is leaving the country tomorrow. It _has_ to be today!' Lucy said urgently.

'It seems disrespectful-'

But Lucy cut over the protests. 'It would be disrespectful not to honour Alice's memory,' Lucy said, desperate now. 'It would be disrespectful to ignore everything that she stood for, everything that she sacrificed for us!'

Her voice shook on the last sentence, and Wyatt could see her really beginning to panic now. As the suffragettes began to speak in hushed whispers to each other, Lucy turned away, worried she might lose it in front of them. She had never before felt so strongly about seeing this through, but there seemed to be no hope. No one was willing to take the mantel. Alice Paul's legacy would be lost forever…the American suffragette movement along with it.

And then Lucy's heart soared when she heard Wyatt speak.

'Ma'am, uh…I'm actually a soldier. And I've lost good people,' Wyatt said heavily, and Lucy turned to face him. 'Doesn't mean you should quit. What would Alice want?

'A vigil. We march, but silently,' one of the suffragettes, Charlotte, said decisively, and Lucy looked down at the floor despairingly. 'Show our resolve and our respect for Alice at the same time.'

'With respect…a silent march is not going to get the job done today, not this time,' Lucy said firmly.

'I suggest a vote,' Grace then said in a commanding voice. 'I'd like to see a show of hands. Everyone in favour of a silent march, raise your hand.'

All the women in the room did so…aside from Lucy, who was feeling increasingly uneasy. This was all wrong. She couldn't stand to see the historical event she had valued so much be swept away just like that, and turned to nothing but a fiction in her mind. She couldn't stand to see her fellow women lose their chance.

'It's settled, then. Vigil it is.'

While the suffragettes got prepared with their banners and flags to march, Lucy found herself arguing with Grace Humiston over her careless attitude about the march. Wyatt was over in the corner, helping some of the women with their props and posters, when he heard Lucy's raised voice, and he walked tentatively over to her and Grace, listening to Lucy's furious words.

'If you think that Alice can be reduced to one day and one speech, then you really have no idea what all of this is about, do you? You think because you are smart enough or tough enough to make it into the boys' club that everybody else should be able to do that too, is that it?'

'Something like that.'

'So you're under no obligation to-to help other women?'

'I find the missing, I catch their murderers, I put them away. That's how I help women,' Grace replied shortly.

'Dead women, you mean. You help dead women,' Lucy retorted. 'What about everyone else?'

'Everyone else isn't my problem.'

Lucy was disgusted. 'You think that Alice wanted to be beaten by police, sent to prison, force-fed?'

'I didn't say that-'

'She would have spent the next 50 years living the same hell over and over again so women like you could ride on her coattails. Every day that you get to do your job, another woman out there is making sacrifices so that you can keep doing it. If you're not gonna help, Grace, then just get the hell out of the way!' Lucy shouted, her voice shaking with rage, and Wyatt's heart ached as he watched her, awestruck.

After a shocked pause, a tentative female voice from behind spoke. 'Maybe-'

'What?' Lucy yelled, rounding on the small trio of women stood warily behind them.

'Maybe _you_ could give the speech,' one of the women suggested.

'Oh,' Lucy said, stunned, but then after glancing at Grace's disgruntled expression, she made up her mind. 'You know what? Maybe I will.'

Slamming her hat down on one of the tables, Lucy then stormed past Grace, and opened the door to march out of the building.

'Lucy,' Wyatt called after her in a warning tone, and he hurriedly followed her outside. 'Lucy, the sleeper wants to stop the speech. They will shoot whoever goes up there.'

'Would it be better if it was someone else?' Lucy said, not looking at him as she marched ahead up the pavement; he couldn't remember ever seeing her this angry.

Frustrated, Wyatt grabbed her by the arm and spun her round to face him, stopping her in her tracks. 'Rittenhouse already has a target on your back,' he said, anguished, and he released his hold of her. 'You said it yourself – they need a leader, but they need a leader here, not someone who's gonna jump in a time machine!'

'But someone has to do something now,' Lucy protested desperately, her voice tearful.

Wyatt gazed at her and shook his head. 'I'm not gonna let you get hurt.'

'Little late for that,' Lucy said coolly, taking a step towards him as her eyes burned into his.

There was a short pause as they stared at each other.

'What's that supposed to mean?' Wyatt asked, frowning.

Lucy closed her eyes and shook her head, agitated. 'Okay, look…Wyatt, I have tried really hard to separate whatever's going on between us from the work that we have to do, but you are _not_ making it easy,' she said furiously.

'You think this has been easy for me?' Wyatt challenged, his heart racing fast – they had been avoiding this subject for so long, trying to pretend like everything was fine, but now it was all unravelling and he could see the pain and anger in Lucy's eyes, and it was destroying him.

Lucy stared at him, incredulous. 'You got the love of your life back, Wyatt, and I got the rug pulled out from under me _again_ ,' she said hopelessly, and Wyatt's face crumpled at her words as her voice shook with the effort it took to not burst into tears. 'So I would _really_ appreciate it if you would stop acting like you were the one that got screwed!'

'I'm-'

But Lucy interrupted him with a stern glare and point of her finger. ' _I_ …have a speech to deliver,' she said firmly, and with a false smile, she then backed away and hurried off down the pavement.

Wyatt watched her go for a moment, her words piercing through him, and then, with an agitated sigh, he rushed off after her towards the march. He knew there was no good trying to stop Lucy from making this speech, particularly when she was so rattled up – after all, she was one of the most stubborn people he knew – but at least he could try and keep an eye on her to make sure she was safe. And then hopefully the march would preoccupy him enough to stop him thinking about how wrong it had felt to just hear Jessica referred to as 'the love of your life'.

Meanwhile, Lucy hurried into the crowd of silently marching women, and took a deep, uneasy breath. She was annoyed with herself for losing her temper with Wyatt in such a way just then, but really, how was she expected to keep up this cool, unbothered façade when Wyatt was acting this way? Yes, he was struggling, he was torn between two women who both meant a great deal to him…but Lucy had lost a blossoming relationship with a man she had fallen irrevocably in love with, and her world had collapsed around her as a result. And she needed him to see that. She needed him to understand. Maybe then, he would begin to act like a mature adult, and give her the space she deserved. It felt somewhat a relief to let the truth out, to finally say the words that had needed saying, and perhaps the two of them would be able to discuss it under less strenuous circumstances, but right now, Lucy had enough on her plate to be thinking about.

As she marched along with the others, swallowing nervously, she glanced to her side through the crowds to see that Wyatt was walking parallel to her on the side by the pavement, keeping his eyes fixed on her. They gazed at each other for the briefest of moments through the throng of angry people, but then Lucy looked quickly away and faced forward anxiously – she couldn't think about Wyatt now. She had to focus on what was at stake here. Wyatt kept a close watch on her as she walked on with the rest of the suffragettes, but he couldn't help frowning in disgust at the jeering men around him, who were shouting insults at the marching women.

'Go get a husband!'

'Get out of here!'

'You don't deserve the vote!'

'Why don't you go home and take care of your kids?'

'Ah, stop this nonsense! You'll mess up your dresses!'

Wyatt was appalled by what they were saying, but knew there was nothing he could to stop them without causing more trouble. He didn't want a fight breaking out, especially when there was a sleeper agent intent on killing Lucy somewhere out there. He was then distracted by the arrival of Flynn and Rufus, who revealed that Emma (who had made a deal with them for a one-mission truce due to her passion for the suffragette movement) had told them that the sleeper agent was in fact a suffragette. It was at that point when Wyatt realised he had lost sight of Lucy.

'Wait, where's Lucy?' Wyatt blurted out, frowning, as he looked around.

Rufus scanned through the crowds. 'She's in the march, isn't she?'

'Well she was, but I can't see her!' Wyatt said, a hint of panic in his voice as he looked over the shoulders of the jeering men to look out for Lucy's long black dress and neat hair tied up…but amongst all the women, he couldn't see her.

'I thought you were keeping an eye on her?' Flynn said accusingly, glaring at Wyatt.

'Yeah, then you two showed up telling me you were best buddies with Emma!' Wyatt snapped defensively. 'I was a little preoccupied-'

'C'mon, I'm sure she's just further down!' Rufus urged, but when they ran down the pavement and found the spot between two women where Lucy had previously been empty, Rufus grimaced worriedly. 'Okay. I guess she's not there.'

'Well where the hell did she go?' Wyatt exclaimed in frustration, as Flynn paced around and clasped a hand to his head anxiously.

'What if the sleeper got her?' Rufus said agitatedly, concerned.

'Wyatt, you were responsible for her!' Flynn shouted, furious, storming right up to Wyatt so that he towered over him. 'I swear to God, if I'd been with her I wouldn't have let her out of my _sight_ -'

'You think I did it on purpose?!' Wyatt yelled back incredulously, panicked.

'Hey, am I missing something, since when did Lucy mean so much to _you_ anyway?' Rufus demanded of Flynn, bewildered.

'Since he got her into his bed last night!'

The words spat out of Wyatt's mouth before he even had time to consider them. Flynn was speechless and raised his eyebrows at Wyatt, who groaned and jerked his head away from Flynn, unable to look at that stupid handsome face of his.

' _Wh-what?!_ ' Rufus spluttered, shocked and appalled.

Flynn rolled his eyes, flustered. 'This is an example of when you should really value the importance of context…-'

'She's there!' Rufus then interrupted triumphantly, pointing at Lucy in the distance and sighing in relief, but then he turned back to Flynn. 'We'll hear more about this later!'

The three of them rushed over to Lucy, who had re-appeared among the crowd of marching women, though looking stunned and slightly dishevelled.

'What happened?' Rufus asked her at once, as a panting Wyatt came to a halt beside them, overcome with relief at the sight of her.

'Emma shot the sleeper,' Lucy replied, disbelieving. 'She saved my life.'

'Where'd she go?' Flynn asked her urgently.

'She's gone.'

'Must have crawled back to the hole she came from,' Wyatt said bitterly, confused by Emma's brief moment of compassion in sparing Lucy…but nonetheless overwhelmingly grateful for it.

Lucy no longer cared about Emma – she had just noticed the sleek motor car pull up at the end of the road, guarded by many police officers. 'Look,' she said, and the moment she caught sight of President Wilson leaning out of the car window, she dashed forward into the crowd.

Flynn turned instantly to Wyatt. 'It's gonna get ugly,' he said, grimacing.

'Yeah!' Wyatt agreed, and, together, they ran off after Lucy…because no matter what ugly exchanges they'd had earlier, neither of them could let Lucy venture into an angry, aggressive crowd unprotected.

The intended silent vigil had taken somewhat of a turn…now the women at the front of the crowd near the President's car had begun chanting, 'Votes for women!' and shouting at the police, guards and male civilians. And then suddenly before they knew it, the women began fighting against the police, who were smacking them and beating them to the ground with weapons. It was a brutal sight. Wyatt was outraged, but all he could concentrate on, through all the fighting and screaming and crying out and yelling, was trying to find Lucy and get her back to safety.

He caught sight of Lucy amidst the throng of people, and grabbed hold of her; together they fought their way through, and Wyatt punched away some of the cops who had been beating the women. Lucy tried budging past the police officers to reach President Wilson, who was getting out of his car and heading up the steps towards the York Hotel, but they were strong and held her back, so Lucy was left with no choice but to try and call him over the loud chanting and shouts and screams of all the women surrounding her.

'MR. PRESIDENT!' she called as loudly as she could, waving her hand desperately as she tried to keep steady amongst all the women and cops pushing against her. 'MR PRESIDENT! MR PRESIDENT! MR. PRESIDENT-!'

But then Lucy froze, open-mouthed, as she saw none other than Grace Humiston climb up onto a nearby surface and shriek out to the crowd: 'STOP! THIS ALL HAS TO STOP!'

President Wilson froze on the hotel steps, and turned back to the crowds, his attention finally caught.

'Someone else was supposed to be up here today, someone whose voice needed to be heard. Someone who deserved…justice. So now it falls to me to speak up,' Grace shouted, her voice trembling with fury and determination, and Lucy looked around over the shoulders of the cops to see that President Wilson was watched Grace, listening attentively. 'When we stay silent, we're just as much to blame as those we fight against. And fight is what we must do! For how long can men expect their sisters, their mothers, their wives, their daughters to expect – to _accept_ – less than what justice demands?!'

Shaken, Lucy turned to watch Grace in awe. She barely even registered the fighting or screaming anymore, or the jostling and pushing of angry people around her, threatening to send her toppling to the ground and get trampled any moment. She could only see and hear Grace.

'Women's suffrage is inevitable,' Grace went on loudly. 'The time has come to allow women – all women – to have the voice we so greatly deserve!'

Exhausted and bruised from fighting with the police officers, Wyatt continued to push his way through the crowd to locate Lucy, knowing she would be near Grace to hear the inspirational speech that was unravelling before their very eyes.

'Lucy!' Wyatt yelled, but Lucy didn't even notice as he pushed an aggressive cop out of the way who had just been about to elbow Lucy in the face; she was too starstruck.

'The time is now! Now! NOW!' Grace shrieked tearfully, and as the police officers dragged her down and forced her away, the crowd of women cheered and Lucy felt her eyes well up with tears as she saw President Wilson give a reassuring nod and tilt of his hat in Grace's direction…he had heard her.

'She did it! She did it!' Lucy cried triumphantly, disbelieving, as Wyatt kept his arms protectively around her to keep her steady so that she wouldn't be knocked over by the aggressive cops surrounding them and pushing everyone to the ground.

Smiling, Wyatt turned to face her, and took in her tearful eyes and ecstatic beam, and he grabbed her arm firmly. 'I think you did it,' he said to her, nothing but admiration on his face as he gazed at her.

He was mesmerized; Lucy was nothing short of extraordinary. If it hadn't been for Lucy's passion and words of encouragement, then Grace would never have got up to speak at all. Lucy seemed to choke up as she gazed back at him, clearly trying to fight back tears, and, smiling, the two then fought their way back out of the crowd, Wyatt guiding her with his strong arms to shield her from the clubs and various other weapons being swung around by the despicable police force.

'Wait…isn't that the police car that took Grace away?' Wyatt wondered aloud once they had escaped the crowd and the chaos of the march had died down; he had noticed Grace's familiar figure in the backseat of the car driving past them.

As Lucy and Wyatt hurried after the car, Lucy explained to Wyatt that Grace had removed the bullets from the sleeper's pistol before the sleeper had taken Lucy away to the side alley to shoot her – Grace had saved her life…just like Emma had. Wyatt was amazed, but also felt a little guilty; if he hadn't taken his eyes off Lucy during the march, then she would never have been inches away from being shot. He had been too distracted arguing with Flynn about his late-night activities with Lucy. It troubled Wyatt to his very core to know that his possessive jealousy had almost caused a repetition of the past: a woman he loved getting killed.

The police car soon pulled up beside them on the road and Grace stepped out smugly; although she had been arrested for her speech, the police had been forced to let her go because otherwise then they would never again be able to ask for her help – in other words, she was far too valuable.

'I got to know – how'd you figure out who the killer was?' Wyatt asked Grace, amazed.

'The note the bellhop had was written by a woman, and a leftie. A suffragette could've easily planted the gun in Alice's room. Then I suggested they take a vote, and I watched how they voted. Only one woman raised her left hand to vote: Charlotte,' Grace explained, and Wyatt caught Lucy's eye; they smirked at each other, impressed. 'So I found her things and the gun. The rest was elementary.'

Wyatt turned to smile slyly at Lucy again, and there was a flirtatious glint in his gaze that, in spite of herself, Lucy couldn't help laughing softly at, flustered. Grace glanced back and forth between the blushing, smiling pair, and frowned.

'There's something very strange about both of you,' she said bluntly. 'Where you're from.'

Lucy and Wyatt glanced awkwardly at each other and began to flounder. 'Well…-'

'It's, uh…'

'-we're…'

'Canadians,' Grace guessed.

Lucy hesitated. 'No,' she replied, smiling.

Grace seemed unperturbed. 'I'll figure it out eventually.'

'I'm sure you will,' Lucy said, watching smugly as Grace turned swiftly and began to walk away.

Rufus and Flynn then found them, Rufus looking a little worse for wear – he had taken a bad beating from a cop but luckily Flynn had intervened before it had resulted in any ghastly, fatal injuries – but was visibly relieved when he caught sight of Lucy, safe and unharmed after the aggressive events of the march. As they began to walk along the pavement to head back towards their hiding place for the Lifeboat, Rufus limping slightly as he rested his weight on Wyatt's shoulder, Flynn walked over to Lucy's side and put a hand on her shoulder.

'Lucy,' he said in a low, urgent voice, clearly concerned. 'Are you all right? Did you get hurt back there?'

'No, I'm okay. I'm good,' Lucy replied, smiling reassuringly up at him in a way Wyatt did not like one bit as he and Rufus followed from behind. 'Grace did it, she did the speech!'

Flynn smiled back at her, and it was a sight so rare that it made Wyatt jolt to a halt; Rufus stumbled slightly as they both frowned at Flynn's soft, adoring expression. Any passer-by would think he were just an ordinary man…not a terrorist and murderer.

'Mr. Logan!'

Wyatt turned to see that Grace hadn't left the street yet; she was walking back up to him, looking troubled.

'Mrs. Humiston?' Wyatt said, frowning.

'May I have a moment of your time please, before you leave?' Grace said agitatedly.

Wyatt looked round at the other three, who looked equally as bemused; shrugging, Lucy nodded at him, and Flynn moved over to help steady Rufus.

'We'll wait here,' Lucy said, and Wyatt walked over to join Grace further along the pavement, so they were out of earshot.

'I told you before I don't deal with romantic disputes, but this particular one has been bothering me, and I feel I can't leave yet until I get down to the bottom of this,' Grace murmured to him, sounding irritated, and Wyatt closed his eyes. 'I have to ask…the two of you are…curious, to say the least…I can't quite figure out what has happened between you. Was I right in assuming you are married?'

'The ring does kinda give it away,' Wyatt said glumly, trying to smile as he flashed the silver wedding band on his finger. 'Yes, I am.'

'But not happily,' Grace deduced. 'Is that why you…gained a mistress?'

'Me and Lucy weren't having an affair, it was before my wife…' But then Wyatt trailed off, at a loss with what to say, and he glanced sadly over at Lucy, who was saying something to make Flynn laugh at the other end of the pavement. 'Like I said before, it's complicated.'

Grace frowned. 'At the end of the day, love is not complicated. And you cannot go back and forth between two women, even if you do care for them both. It's unfair on them, and dishonest on your part.'

Wyatt looked down, ashamed. 'Since when were you a fan of talking about emotions?' he then asked suspiciously, annoyed but also slightly amused by Grace's change of heart.

'I'm not,' Grace retorted, looking almost offended by the idea. 'But your, uh, 'friend', Miss Preston, has helped me see things in a different light…as much as I hate to admit it. She is…special.'

'You don't need to tell me that,' Wyatt murmured, smiling fondly; he gazed over at Lucy again and was overwhelmed…no matter what era they visited, no matter what chaos they went through, she always managed to look beautiful.

'And yet you are married to another woman,' Grace said, watching him carefully with a frown on her face, and he tore his eyes off Lucy and glimpsed guiltily back at Grace. 'Pining away after someone you chose not to be with…it's not the done thing in any kind of society, Mr. Logan. I'm not one for relationship advise, but I feel I owe it to Miss Preston, after what she's done for…well, for _women_ , today…you should be honest with her. And respect her wishes for you to keep your distance. It doesn't take an expert to see that she is, quite simply, heartbroken by whatever events have transpired between the two of you.'

Wyatt sighed heavily. 'Don't make me feel worse than I already do about that. It's just hard, when all I want to do is talk to her…and spend time with her, like we did before,' he murmured hopelessly, wondering why he was opening up to this, quite frankly, infuriating woman.

'If she is the first person you think of when you want to talk to someone, then perhaps you chose the wrong woman to be your wife,' Grace said simply, a disapproving tone to her voice.

There was a pause as Wyatt took in her words, during which Lucy looked over curiously; her eyes met Wyatt's. They both looked away from each other quickly.

'Y-you don't know…you don't know what we've been through, you don't know our situation,' Wyatt protested, trying not to sound too defensive.

'No, I don't,' Grace replied, shrugging. 'But I know true love when I see it. And I know marital problems when I see it. Be careful where you go from here, Mr. Logan. Hearts are fragile things. You can't afford to cause them any more damage. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll quickly bid farewell to Mr Preston, and then I must get back to work. It was…interesting to meet you.'

Wyatt raised his eyebrows at her; he didn't know whether to be furious with her for her impertinence, or grateful. 'Likewise.'

Grace didn't take long to say goodbye to Lucy; they shook hands (seeming as Grace had made it clear she was against hugs) and then with a departing nod and knowing look at Wyatt, Grace headed back to the police car and set off back to the station. Lucy watched them go until the car had rounded the corner onto the next street, a dazed look in her eyes, before she approached Wyatt, unaware of Flynn's sad eyes on her as he helped Rufus limp ahead.

'What was that about? What did she want?' Lucy asked Wyatt as they walked on.

Wyatt shrugged, not wanting to discuss it. 'Just…stuff.'

'Uh-huh, sounds interesting,' Lucy said sardonically; Wyatt glanced at her, and when he saw the twitch of her lips, they both couldn't help laughing softly.

'You know what she wanted to talk to me about,' Wyatt murmured quietly, avoiding Lucy's gaze as they came to a halt, oblivious to Flynn and Rufus carrying on up the street.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. 'I think "wanted to" is an optimistic take on it. But yeah, I think I do,' she said softly, a sad look in her eyes, but before they could do anything other than look at each other, Flynn then marched up to them, having left Rufus resting against a brick wall.

'Are we gonna wait for the 19th Amendment to be passed or what?' he said impatiently, casting Wyatt an irritated glance. 'Rufus could do with seeing to.'

The four of them headed back to the Lifeboat quite quickly after that; while Flynn helped buckle Rufus into the pilots' seat, trying to avoid causing further damage or pain his injuries and bruises, Wyatt leant forward to strap Lucy in.

'It's all right, Wyatt, I'm good,' she said, quietly but firmly, as she clasped the buckle around herself.

Wyatt leant back into his seat, disheartened; she hadn't rejected Flynn when he had helped her this morning. He watched as Lucy pulled her hair out of its tidy knot, and it was only when Flynn cleared his throat pointedly that he looked away.

When they arrived, Flynn hurried on after Rufus, who was keen to get some band aids and rest, while Jessica, waiting eagerly by the operations desk, bit her lip as her eyes flickered between Wyatt and Lucy emerging down the steps. As Wyatt trudged down onto the floor, Jessica flung her arms around him in a tight hug, before leaning back to cup his face and press her lips fiercely against his. Lucy faltered and froze half-way down the steps, stunned that Jessica would be thoughtless enough to do that in front of her, when she knew her and Wyatt's history. Taken aback by her sudden enthusiasm, Wyatt kept his eyes open as Jessica kissed him, and glanced past her to meet Lucy's gaze. A flicker of annoyance crossed Lucy's face as she watched them both, and Wyatt could see the hurt in her eyes…and inexplicably he found himself feeling her pain and irritation as well.

Wyatt broke apart from Jessica quickly, feeling deeply uncomfortable. 'Hey. Come on,' he whispered to her, urging her away.

He glanced uneasily back at Lucy, whose eyes were lowered to the floor, before leading Jessica away down the corridor, very conscious of Grace Humiston's stern parting words to him still ringing in his ears. Jessica went gladly with him, trying not to dwell on the fact that he hadn't really kissed her back, and wrapped her arm around his back. Lucy watched them go, incredulous that now, after all that active pining and those longing looks and unnecessary touches today on the mission, Wyatt had put his loyal husband mask back on. When would he stop lingering between the two of them? When would he finally be fair and stick with his choice?

* * *

It was later on that night, after everyone had had a well-needed nap after their tiring mission, that Wyatt found Lucy in the main room of the bunker, her back to the corridor as she leaned against one of the tables next to the couch.

'Hey,' Wyatt greeted, as he entered the room.

Lucy said nothing. Nor did she turn around.

Wyatt frowned at the lack of response, but was then distracted by the shining light of the laptop that was propped open on one of the tables. Interested, he went over to briefly scan through the Wikipedia page left open there.

'Huh. Grace went on to become an icon in the feminist movement,' Wyatt said, impressed, and he turned to Lucy, smiling. 'There's even a society named after her, huh? Fighting for women's rights to this very day.'

Still, Lucy said nothing.

Sighing, Wyatt looked back up at her. 'That's a good thing, right?' he said pointedly.

'Alice isn't even a footnote,' Lucy murmured, and Wyatt straightened up from the table and slowly began to walk towards her; she still hadn't turned around, and was shaking her head in dismay. 'She's gone, disappeared. Everything that she sacrificed, all of her accomplishments…like she never even existed, and I'm the only one that's going to remember her.'

Wyatt came to stand behind her, and sighed sympathetically before reaching out to put his hands on her shoulders, to hold her comfortingly. 'You're not the only one-' he began gently, but Lucy immediately shrugged him off.

'Wyatt, don't. Don't,' she pleaded in a quiet but firm voice, and she moved off from the table; Wyatt's hand lingered on her arm before letting go as she walked away.

Lucy was infurirated. When was he going to get it into his head? He couldn't be her shoulder to cry on anymore. He couldn't be there to comfort her like he had before.

Wyatt gazed at her helplessly, confused and lost and desperate, and took a step forward. 'Lucy, I still care about you,' he said earnestly, and Lucy turned around to face him incredulously; she noticed that his hair was back to its normal, messy style that she loved so much, which didn't exactly help matters. 'I-I can't make that disappear.'

Oh, Wyatt. Sometimes she wanted to slap him and hug him both at the same time.

'Wyatt,' Lucy said sternly, her expression half-anguished, half-angry. 'You are married to a woman that you love. You are _happily_ married. I have to accept that, and you have to accept that.'

Wyatt swallowed. How could he accept that, when he wasn't even sure that was true? _Was_ he happy? This certainly didn't feel like happiness. Deep down, he wanted Lucy to give him a reason to choose her…not for her to draw a line in the sand and for that to be it. He knew it wasn't right, he knew it wasn't fair, but that was how he felt. And he hated himself for it.

'We can't keep living in the past,' Lucy went on firmly, shooting him an irritable look.

Wyatt's miserable, apologetic gaze changed slightly as he registered her words; his eyebrow flickered up, and a slight smirk curved up at one end of his lips. Lucy's lips twitched slightly as she realised her unintentional joke, and she tucked her hair back self-consciously.

'Okay, but _Flynn_ , though?' Wyatt said sceptically, disappointment and fury raging through him as he took another step forward. 'I mean, seriously.'

Lucy tilted her head at him and smirked, amused. He wasn't used to seeing such a smug expression on her face, and he wasn't sure he liked it given the topic of conversation.

'Wyatt, nothing happened,' she said softly, and Wyatt took a step back, surprised, but most of all, relieved. 'We talked. That's all.'

'Cool,' Wyatt mumbled, and he looked down at the floor as he shuffled his feet, embarrassed.

He suddenly felt very foolish for overreacting earlier, and for letting the jealousy and anger eat him up this whole day. What had gotten over him? He glanced up to see that Lucy had tilted her head at him again, and was raising her eyebrows at him sceptically.

'I mean, thank God,' Wyatt added, and Lucy couldn't help laughing softly. 'What? I think it's safe to say that literally no one has experienced what I'm going through – what _we're_ going through right now.'

'I know that,' Lucy insisted, the crease on her forehead more prominent than ever as she gazed back at him in anguish. 'But you getting a second chance with Jessica? That is the closest thing to a miracle I have _ever_ seen, and there is _no way_ that I'm getting in the middle of that. That is not who I am.'

Wyatt had never respected or admired this woman more. He wished she didn't make it so hard for him to try and fall out of love with her. It was a hopeless cause.

He smiled tenderly at her. 'For what it's worth…I'm glad you are who you are,' he murmured.

Lucy raised her eyes to the ceiling, wishing they weren't suddenly wet; would she ever go through a day in this bunker without getting tearful? 'Well, I'm no Alice Paul, so…' she muttered, and Wyatt frowned.

'No. You're Lucy Preston,' he said, in a way that clearly expressed that nothing better could be said of any person. 'That's pretty damn good.'

Lucy gazed back at him, touched. She was stunned by how Wyatt always seemed to believe in her, even when – and, perhaps, most especially – she didn't believe in herself. Wyatt's smile faded as he realised that she wasn't going to respond – not a word or even a smile to encourage him to keep going. Of course…she didn't want him to be like that around her anymore. And he understood. He just wished it wasn't this agonising.

Wyatt sighed heavily. 'So where does that leave us?' he asked in a low, hopeless voice.

Lucy swallowed as she thought hard on how to come up with the best response, and she gazed over at him. 'Same place as always – kicking ass and saving the world,' she murmured, a hint of a sly smile on her face.

Wyatt nodded. 'Yeah,' he agreed softly, and he smiled warmly at her.

Then, with an awkward gesture, Wyatt slowly began to back away, before turning and walking back down the corridor. Stunned, Lucy's mouth opened to say something – to make him stay perhaps, she wasn't sure – but then she chickened out and simply watched him sadly as he left her stood there, clutching hold of her sister's old locket around her neck, her eyes pitiful, her expression broken.

As Wyatt trudged on around the corner onto the next corridor, a sour expression on his face, he then noticed Flynn coming out of his bedroom. Wyatt sighed; he was finding it difficult enough after that conversation with Lucy, but now he was going to have to force himself to do something he really didn't want to do. Wyatt approached Flynn heavily, who gave him a wary glance.

'Hey, Flynn…I, err…look, I know we don't really talk,' Wyatt said, grimacing.

'For good reason,' Flynn muttered as he shut his door.

'Yeah, I agree, but still…I just wanted to, uh, say…sorry?'

Flynn raised his eyebrows at him. 'You sure about that? If you're trying to sound sincere, it's failing.'

Wyatt clenched his fists. 'Lucy told me you two never…hooked up last night. That you just…talked,' he said, slightly agitated. 'I leapt to the wrong conclusion, and…I'm sorry for thinking the worst of you.'

'What do you mean by that?' Flynn asked, frowning as if insulted. 'You're saying it would have been my fault? If Lucy and I _had_ slept together, you would have blamed me for, what, seducing her? Making love to her when she wasn't thinking straight?'

Wyatt was alarmed. 'Woah, "make love"? Dude, what the hell-?'

'My point is that…if something _had_ happened, it would have been instigated on Lucy's part rather than mine. I may be a somewhat talented manipulator but I don't take advantage of people when they're vulnerable, and especially not Lucy,' Flynn insisted, his voice unusually low and quiet as he frowned at Wyatt. 'You can't…keep blaming other people for her actions that might displease you, and you can't keep thinking of her as someone who wouldn't make that step to move on from you. She makes her own choices of who she spends time with, and what she does. She's not your Lucy anymore.'

'And she's not yours either,' Wyatt said without thinking, glaring at him. 'Lucy is an independent, amazing woman. She doesn't need anyone, and she sure as hell doesn't need you.'

'I whole-heartedly agree. But that doesn't mean it's wrong of her to spend time…bonding with a man who isn't you,' Flynn said reprovingly. 'You left her, Wyatt, not the other way around.'

Wyatt was appalled. 'I-I didn't leave her, I don't see it that way, I-'

'See it however you like, but that's how it is,' Flynn interrupted curtly. 'You're not together. Whatever was going on between you two, it's over. It's time you accepted that.'

Wyatt hated how Flynn's words mirrored Lucy's own from just before. It was as if the two of them had already connected with each other on some deep level.

'Who the hell do you think you are to say stuff like that to me?' Wyatt said, his voice quiet but angry. 'You're not involved.'

'Wyatt, you have been involving _everyone_ in the bunker in this little ridiculous love triangle you've got going on with Lucy and Jessica,' Flynn said exasperatedly. 'Everyone's been affected by it. If you weren't so self-centred, perhaps you'd see that. And perhaps you'd be more considerate about how you treat Lucy and act around her in the future.'

There was a short silence as Wyatt took in Flynn's words. He hated that this imbecile was right. He hated that out of the two of them, it was _he_ , Wyatt, who was being unreasonable and immature and unfair. How had it come to be that Flynn was the more sensible one, the more considerate one? _How?_

'Do you like her?' Wyatt asked, watching Flynn carefully, and his voice broke.

Wyatt was dreading the answer, but didn't regret asking the question. He wasn't going to pretend that he hadn't noticed the spark that had been brewing between Lucy and Flynn recently. And there was no way he wanted to encourage it, but still…he wanted to know the truth. He wanted to know whatever it was that was going on between the pair of them, even if it would break his heart to hear it. Perhaps he deserved to have his heart broken. After what he had put through Lucy…he certainly thought he did.

Flynn tilted his head at him. 'How I may or may not feel about Lucy is irrelevant to you. The simple fact is she's the only person left in this world who I consider a friend,' he replied in a soft voice that made Wyatt's lips part in shock. 'So I won't apologise for you being insulted by my…spending time with her, or worrying about her safety. I wish her no harm. Believe it or not, I've grown to care very much about her.'

There was a short pause as Wyatt frowned at him, unsure of what to think. 'Just…if anything _does_ happen…I know now it's none of my business, I…but…just don't hurt her,' Wyatt said, almost pleadingly, and his eyes dropped to the floor as his voice shook slightly. 'I made that mistake, and…I…well, what's done is done, and it's too late to turn back now after all the pain I've caused her, but…there's nothing I regret more.'

Flynn raised an eyebrow at him. 'I thought you said you had no regrets.'

Wyatt stared at him, as he cast his mind back to a few weeks ago, with Lucy in the corridor outside the bathroom… _'I have no regrets.' … 'Me neither.'…_

'Wh-what…you heard that?' Wyatt asked, frowning, and Flynn nodded.

'I did. I would sympathise, but…you've brought all this on yourself. For understandable reasons, though. You were put in a tricky position. I would probably have done the same…I'd drop everything without a second thought if my family was brought back to me,' Flynn admitted, and he sighed heavily. 'You have nothing to worry about. I would never hurt her.'

Wyatt gave him a sceptical look. 'Err…'

' _Anymore_ ,' Flynn added awkwardly, grimacing.

Wyatt almost laughed, but then quickly remembered himself and who he was talking to, and his smile immediately vanished. 'Just to be clear, I know this may seem like a weird bonding thing, but it's not, and I still hate you,' he said coolly.

'You'll be pleased to know that I return the sentiment,' Flynn said, flashing him one of his typical false smiles as he backed away. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I'm late for my movie night with Lucy.'

Wyatt gritted his teeth. 'Of course you are.'

'And I'm sure you have a wonderful, romantic evening planned with your dear wife. Yes?' Flynn said, almost teasingly, as he began to walk away back down the corridor.

But Wyatt just shook his head at him, furious. 'Go to hell, Flynn,' he snapped.

Flynn gestured his arms out to the grimy bunker corridor, amused. 'Already here.'

When Flynn strolled into the main room, he found Lucy lounged on the couch, looking forlorn as she stared at the blank TV screen.

'Hey,' he greeted, nudging her elbow. 'Move up.'

'Hey,' Lucy murmured, making room so he could sit down next to her, and she handed over a bowl of snacks. 'I got us some popcorn.'

'Thank you very much,' Flynn replied, taking some, and he smiled at her. 'You did good today, Lucy.'

'Thanks,' Lucy said, and then she smirked in amusement. 'So…Wyatt thought you and I slept together last night.'

'So I heard,' Flynn said with a heavy nod, and they both laughed. 'He didn't exactly take it that well.'

'No, he did not,' Lucy agreed, sighing irritably. 'I mean, it's so out-of-line him thinking my sex life has anything to do with him anymore. I just…I don't understand why he was so…'

'He still loves you, that's why,' Flynn said, stuffing popcorn into his mouth.

Lucy frowned at him, dazed by the suggestion. 'He doesn't love me, he never…'

'He's confused by his wife being back. Who wouldn't be, in that position? After everything that he went through, what with her death and all…but now…I see the way he looks at you. You are his…Lorena,' Flynn said, his voice gentle, and Lucy's lips parted as she watched him; Flynn hardly ever talked about his deceased wife.

'I think you're wrong,' Lucy murmured sceptically.

'Think that all you want. What?' Flynn asked, chuckling in bemusement at the smirk on her face.

'You sound almost like you're defending him,' she teased.

Flynn looked horrified at the very thought. 'Hey, I don't like the guy, I think he's an ass, I think you can do much better. But you love each other. At the end of the day, what's more precious than that?' he said causally, shrugging.

Lucy stared at him in amazement. 'You big softie,' she said, shaking her head in disbelief as he simply grinned and ate more popcorn, and she sighed. 'I'm not going to be The Other Woman, Flynn.'

'God, no. That's not who you are. You two just need to take a break from each other…figure things out…see how things progress with Wyatt and his wife…establish some boundaries…it'll all turn out in the end, whatever happens,' Flynn said bracingly. 'And in the meantime, you and I can keep watching TV.'

Lucy smiled. 'That sounds good to me.'

And as she switched on the TV with a remote and looked through the DVDs for them to choose what to watch, Lucy couldn't help feeling slightly more hopeful. Perhaps Flynn had his reasons for being optimistic about Lucy's predicament. After all, he had read the journal from her future – he knew the ins and outs of her personal life off by heart. Maybe he knew what was going to happen, maybe he didn't. But either way, at least she had a person to talk to about these deep personal issues, a person she could laugh with. She just wished she didn't spend the majority of her time still wishing that person could be Wyatt.

* * *

 **Additional note: I ship Garcy's friendship, but not as a romantic ship - I've loved their bonding moments throughout Season 2 (which is why I added this little missing moment towards the end of the chapter) and I believe that possibly Flynn has a crush on Lucy, but I am confident that Lyatt are endgame :) Just thought I'd clarify my views on this love triangle issue because I know there's been some 'ship wars' going on regarding Lyatt vs. Garcy over Twitter the past few days!**


	34. The Dream

**This chapter covers 2x08, plus some missing moments and the all-important deleted scene from 2x03 (because how could I not?!)**

* * *

They were by the pool. The crickets were the only sound as they breathed in the night air, lost in each other's eyes.

Wyatt smiled tenderly at Lucy, who looked stunning in her golden, embroidered sweeping gown. 'You saved my life, you know,' he said.

'Which time?' Lucy asked, amused. 'The Alamo? Watergate? I'm losing count.'

'Oh, my God, that is _not_ what I meant,' Wyatt said exasperatedly, and she grinned at his frustration. 'You know why I took this assignment? Because it was dangerous. After Jessica died, I just sorta…sorta stopped caring, you know. But not anymore.'

Lucy considered his words for a moment, stunned at his heartfelt expression. 'When I was with my mother and…I thought you were dead, I…I felt the same way,' she murmured, gazing up into his eyes.

Tilting his head at her, Wyatt then turned to face Lucy, closing the distance between them in just a few steps as he smiled, with smouldering eyes. 'Now?'

Lucy couldn't help but smile back as she gazed back at him, the blush creeping on her cheeks, and that was all Wyatt needed to see to know her answer. Her eyes fell to his lips as he took another step closer, and Wyatt slowly leaned forward, parting his lips as Lucy stretched up on her tiptoes to bring her face closer to his… -

But then she hesitated.

'Wait,' she said softly, a small laugh escaping her as she leaned away slightly.

'What?' Wyatt whispered, unable to tear his eyes off her perfect face, so close to his.

'I mean, we're co-workers,' Lucy pointed out worriedly. 'I mean, isn't this…against the rules or something?'

Wyatt hesitated and frowned at her in mock thought. 'Yeah…' he murmured, but then he grinned slyly at the excited smile slowly but surely appearing on Lucy's face. 'I think we're gonna break a few rules.'

And just like that he reached out to cup Lucy's cheek softly, drawing their faces closer; they both leaned in and their smiling lips met in a blissful kiss, Lucy laughing slightly as she drew her arm up to his shoulder. It felt so natural, as if they had been doing this all the time. They kissed each other earnestly, Lucy beaming in between kisses as she wrapped her arms around his neck and his fingers lightly stroked her cheek…but then she felt his hand creep down to the long skirt of her dress…and then suddenly he picked her up in his arms. Lucy gasped against his lips as Wyatt held her up, bridal style, her heeled sandals still clutched in her hands, and she broke apart from him, laughing.

She frowned playfully at him. 'Oh, you-'

'What?' Wyatt murmured teasingly.

'-don't you dare,' she said, almost warningly.

Wyatt frowned, smirking; he had in fact wanted to carry her ceremoniously into Hedy Lamarr's guest house, but whatever it was on Lucy's mind seemed more fun for now.

'Dare what?' he asked flirtatiously, teasing her by jolting her slightly towards the pool in his arms.

'You're gonna get it. You're gonna get it,' Lucy said threateningly, pretending to be annoyed but unable to hide her ecstatic beam.

Wyatt grinned. 'Oh, I wouldn't do that,' he reassured her softly.

'Okay,' Lucy said, and they both laughed as he leaned in and their lips touched again…but then he jolted her again.

'I'm gonna do it!' Wyatt said, and then, yelling incoherently and laughing, he ran forward and leapt joyfully into the pool, carrying a screaming Lucy with him.

The two landed with a loud splash, and as they emerged, Lucy spluttering and Wyatt brushing his sopping mop of hair out of his eyes, they both laughed as they automatically reached out for each other, drawing closer into the other.

'Oh, you're gonna get it!' Lucy gasped between laughs, and she wrapped her arms fiercely around his neck as she drew her lips to his.

Wyatt wrapped his arms around her in the pool, neither of them caring about the ridiculously cold temperature of the freezing cold water that soaked the two of them, and he pulled her in closer as he kissed her back passionately, his hands clutching hold of her back, her cheeks, her hair, her waist…he just couldn't get enough of her. Lucy flung her heels carelessly over her shoulder – she knew she no longer needed them now – and they both grinned against each other's lips, as their hands earnestly caressed every inch of each other in the pool. Wyatt swished her slowly around in the pool as they kissed, his hand on the back of her head, his other resting on her waist, his lips devouring hers because it had been all he'd yearned to do for so long…

When they broke apart for air and cupped each other's faces, Lucy and Wyatt gazed into each other's eyes, neither of them daring to believe that this was really happening.

'Lucy, I…' Wyatt began gently, but he couldn't find the words to express just how much she meant to him, how happy she made him…

But Lucy simply giggled and rested her forehead against his as the water swirled around them. 'I know. Me too,' she whispered.

Smiling lovingly at each other, they then brought their lips back together, and it was nothing less than magical… just he and Lucy wrapped in each other in the middle of a pool, and he never wanted this night to end…he had never wanted anything more…he had never felt this happy… -

'Woah!'

Wyatt's eyes blinked open as he awoke in bed, shuffling uneasily beneath the crispy duvet. He swallowed as his head slowly turned to face the woman sleeping peacefully beside him…whose hair was not in dark tumbling curls, whose lips were not a rosy red, whose clothing was not a golden shimmering dress…

Almost as if she could feel his guilty stare, Jessica then woke up, a soft smile on her lips as she gazed up at him, but then she took in his expression and frowned in concern.

'Hey, what's wrong?' she murmured sleepily as she brushed his arm; Wyatt winced slightly at her tender touch. 'Another nightmare?'

'Uh…not exactly, no,' Wyatt replied uncomfortably, mortified. 'It's okay. Go back to sleep.'

'Honey, it's morning,' Jessica pointed out, laughing as she glanced at the watch on the bedside table, and she sat up and scrambled out of bed. 'Time to get up.'

'Ah, great.'

Wyatt looked down as he slowly sat up, still rather stunned and breathless from his dream. It had felt so vivid. And now Wyatt had never felt more ashamed or confused. He stayed silent for a while, abashed, as Jessica began to get dressed…and then he knew he had to speak up.

'Hey, uh…' His voice broke, and he stopped to clear his throat. 'Listen, I was thinking…this is gonna seem a bit random, but…do you think we should tone it down a bit, in front of the others?'

'What d'you mean?' Jessica asked, bemused.

'Well, you know, the other week when we came back from 1919 and you kissed me,' Wyatt said awkwardly, 'and then the other day in the kitchen, you…well, you had your hands all over me, and certain people walked in and it was-'

But Jessica interrupted him with a hearty laugh. 'Since when were you against PDA's?'

'Oh, I just…you know, it's people I work with,' Wyatt said, grimacing. 'They're probably sick of it.'

Jessica frowned incredulously. 'Well, Rufus and Jiya are couply around each other all the time. And Lucy and Flynn are always cooped up in rooms together-'

'Okay, that is _not_ true,' Wyatt cut over her sharply, as he got out of bed and proceeded to put on some clothes himself.

Jessica raised an eyebrow at him. 'Wow, you still have a big problem with those two, huh,' she muttered, an almost smug tone to her voice.

'Stop talking as if they're a thing, they're not!' Wyatt protested, forcing a chuckle, and Jessica rolled her eyes.

'I rest my case.'

'I just…you know, maybe we should be more considerate. Be more private,' Wyatt suggested in a would-be casual voice.

Jessica put her hands on her hips. 'You saying you don't want us to act like we're a married couple in front of your friends? Is that it?' she challenged.

Wyatt began to flounder at the accusative tone in her voice. 'I-I just…don't want be insensitive to other people's feelings, that's all.'

'You mean Lucy's?' Jessica said sharply, and she made an irritated tutting noise when Wyatt made no response other than becoming suddenly interested in his feet. 'I think she's moving on fine. It's you that's got the issue, not her.'

There was a tense silence as Wyatt buried his hands in his pockets and continued to stare down at his feet, knowing that deep down she was right. He didn't know whether to tell Jessica about his intimate dream with Lucy or not. After all, it was just a dream. He couldn't help what happened in his subconscious. It didn't mean anything…right?

It took him a moment to realise that Jessica had just said something to him, a spark of something different in her eyes. 'Are you ashamed that I'm your wife, Wyatt?'

'No,' Wyatt said at once, frowning, and he crossed the room to put his arms around her waist. 'God, no, how can you say that?'

'Then what's the problem?' Jessica asked hopelessly, putting her hands on his shoulders.

Wyatt hesitated. 'Nothing. Just…nothing,' he replied, and he forced a smile as he pressed his lips briefly to hers. 'Everything's fine.'

But nothing had been further from the truth.

* * *

When Wyatt entered the kitchen half an hour later, he paused for a fraction of a second when he saw Lucy there at the counter, getting out some mugs and tea bags. His heart was racing – out of guilt or nerves or sheer love, he could not be sure. All he knew was that he could not get that intense dream out of his head.

Lucy looked around and spotted him hovering awkwardly in the corner of the room. 'Oh, hi, Wyatt,' she said, turning back to the tea bags.

'H-hey,' Wyatt replied, somewhat nervously, as he moved over to the counter to get a slice of bread.

He was taken aback at how she'd just greeted him, so politely and formally. There was none of that playful atmosphere that had been between them in the dream, none of her infectious laughter or over-the-moon grin. But then again, why would there be? This was not the Lucy from the dream that he'd so wished had been real. This was the real Lucy, the Lucy whose heart Wyatt had broken.

'Are you all right?'

Wyatt looked up from the uneven slice of bread he had just popped in the toaster; Lucy was frowning at him in concern. Clearly he had not concealed his inner anguish as well as he'd thought.

'I'm good, yeah. I'm fine. I'm fine,' Wyatt replied airily, trying to force a smile. 'Y-you? How about you? I haven't seen you much over the past couple of days.'

'Oh, well, y'know, I've been…around,' Lucy said, shrugging. 'Just…keeping to myself mostly.'

'Huh. You getting breakfast?' Wyatt asked, because he couldn't think of anything else to say.

'Actually I'm not that hungry, I'm just getting a cup of tea for me and Flynn,' Lucy said without thinking, and she closed her eyes at her words; even though it was a purely innocent cup of tea with a friend, she knew Wyatt wouldn't see it that way.

Wyatt blinked rapidly and looked away at the breadboard. 'Oh, sure. Cool. Cool, cool, cool…'

He still couldn't stop thinking about the dream. He could picture Lucy in it now, wrapped in his arms _…'Don't you dare'…'you're gonna get it'_ …her excited smile…her gorgeous laughter…her hands on his face and in his hair as she kissed him passionately in that pool…

Lucy swallowed. 'So, uh, where's Jessica?'

'Oh, she's, err…I don't know, actually,' Wyatt realised, frowning. 'Think she went to the bathroom.'

'How is she? I mean…is she getting used to being down here in the bunker all the time?' Lucy asked, leaning against the counter.

'Well, she's not liking being away from her friends or her work, but…' Wyatt then broke off, suddenly guilt-ridden once more. 'Actually, you know, we don't have to talk about this, you don't wanna hear about Jessica…'

'Wyatt, c'mon,' Lucy said, rolling her eyes at him. 'It's been a good few weeks now, I'm used to her living with us. And…she's really nice. We're kind of…friends, actually.'

'Oh. Well that's…that's just…so you're okay?' Wyatt asked in an uneasy voice. 'You're…'

'I'm fine, Wyatt,' Lucy reassured him, smiling gently. 'I think our little…talk the other week helped. Don't you?'

'Y-yeah. Yeah, definitely,' Wyatt agreed, his voice breaking slightly as he avoided her eye contact. 'Closure and all that. Distance. Boundaries. It's good.'

'Yeah, it is,' Lucy said in an equally false tone.

Wyatt tilted his head at her then and his lips twitched. 'I'm glad you're…happier…than you were,' he said, and he was being honest. 'Flynn seems to really make you smile nowadays. And…I've missed seeing you smile.'

Lucy's lips parted as she returned his tender gaze, unsure of what to say…and then her eyes flickered over his shoulder. 'W-Wyatt, your toast.'

'Yeah, you want some?' Wyatt offered.

'No, I mean, I think it's burning,' Lucy said, glad for a reason for him not to see the blush on her cheeks as Wyatt turned instantly to the toaster.

'Oh, shit…' He yanked the toast out; it was a very dark brown, but still edible. 'All good. Saved the day yet again, Lucy, thanks.'

'Anytime,' Lucy said, forcing a smile as she went to fill up the kettle in the sink.

As Wyatt began to spread a small amount of butter on his toast, Rufus then wandered into the kitchen, looking extremely agitated. He nosily grabbed a mug from the counter and stormed over to the table, the tension rolling off him; Lucy and Wyatt slowly glanced up at each other. With merely a look from Wyatt, Lucy knew they were both in agreement – it was time to find out why Rufus was behaving so strangely.

'Okay, enough,' Lucy said firmly, walking over to Rufus. 'You've been brooding like a 'Real Housewife' all week.'

'No, I have-' Rufus protested, but then he broke off and frowned at her. 'You watch _The Real Housewives_?'

'Yes, Rufus, many people watch…truly awful-for-them, yet delicious, television,' Lucy replied, unashamed, and Wyatt smirked. 'My point is…quit sulking. Tell us what's going on.'

'I don't sulk,' Rufus said.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows. 'You sulk,' he said slyly, exchanging a knowing glance with Lucy as he took a small bite of his toast. 'You've been sulking up the joint all week.'

There was a short silence.

And then Rufus finally decided to speak up. 'I'm going to die,' he said simply; Wyatt frowned and looked over at Lucy, who looked equally as confused.

'What?' she said blankly, after a stunned pause.

'On one of our next trips – Jiya saw it in a vision of hers,' Rufus replied.

'Hold on, time out – what vision?' Wyatt asked, perplexed, as he put his toast down.

'Jiya has been seeing visions of the future ever since she got out of the Lifeboat,' Lucy explained.

'What?!' Wyatt said incredulously.

Rufus scrunched up his eyes agitatedly. 'Look, don't worry about it. Okay?'

'What exactly did she see?' Wyatt insisted.

'Some guys. Uh, dirty yellow teeth, grubby clothes, tattoos…all of them had knives, spurs on their boots.'

'You know what? Doesn't matter, because we're not gonna let that happen,' Wyatt said reassuringly.

'Yeah, and think of all the times that we could've died,' Lucy pointed out drily.

'Right.'

'Al Capone,' Lucy went on.

'Nazi Germany,' Wyatt interjected.

'The Alamo!' they both exclaimed at the same time.

Lucy and Wyatt glanced at each other before looking back to Rufus quickly. The Alamo held a special place in both their heart's; traumatic and devastating though it was, it had also been the place where they had both realised that they were no longer just co-workers. It was when they had realised they deeply needed each other…and that need had not faded one bit. It had only grown stronger.

'I appreciate the sentiment,' Rufus said with a frown, his voice shaking slightly, 'but Jiya's been right before. Needless to say, I am going through some things. Either way, we just need to plan for' – he paused as the familiar alarm then began to blare around the bunker – 'the future.'

Lucy, Wyatt and Rufus took Jiya with them on their mission this time as they followed the Mothership to Washington, D.C., on March the 30th, 1981 – the day Ronald Reagan was shot. The team arrived at the shooting, and separated in the chaos to try and locate the Rittenhouse sleeper agent…when they reunited, Wyatt was looking particularly troubled – even more so than usual.

'Guys, Hinckley got away,' Lucy told them all, harassed. 'That's _not_ supposed to happen. He's supposed to be caught.'

'Wait, Rittenhouse came here to _save_ Hinckley?' Jiya said, confused. 'What, they hate Jodie Foster or something?'

'Well, not quite. They're here to kill Agent Christopher,' Wyatt said, trying to remain calm, as he glanced back at the young MPD female officer he had just saved from a gunman, 'before she becomes Agent Christopher.'

'Wait, that's _her_ in 1981?' Rufus asked, astonished, as they all turned to watch her be loaded onto an ambulance.

'I saw a sleeper. He's a Secret Service agent,' Wyatt said sharply, his eyes full of dread as he turned worriedly to Lucy. 'He's going to be out there looking to finish the job.'

'Finish the job?' Rufus said in horror. 'Without Agent Christopher-'

'We never would've met.'

Lucy meant the words to apply to everyone in the vicinity, but her eyes were only for Wyatt as the full impact of her statement hit her. Rufus and Jiya watched her and Wyatt, suddenly aware that they were intruding on what seemed to be a rather private moment, as the two of them stared intensely at each other.

'Yeah,' Wyatt murmured heavily, and he shared her feeling of terror at the prospect…he couldn't imagine his life without Lucy in it, a life in which he had never even had the privilege to know her, let alone love her…

And suddenly never before had Lucy and Wyatt been more desperate and determined to prevent the Rittenhouse sleeper agent from achieving his goal.

The team subsequently rushed to the hospital to keep track of young Denise Christopher, and split up into pairs – Wyatt and Rufus to track and stop the sleeper, Lucy and Jiya to find Denise. It turned out that Denise had been convinced by her mother to give up police work and accept an arranged marriage – something Lucy and Jiya knew for sure did not happen in their original timeline – and so they worked hard to help Denise capture John Hinckley Jr. for the attempted assassination of President Reagan, and to persuade Denise to break off her engagement…by revealing her future with her wife and their children. Meanwhile, Wyatt and Rufus managed to capture the sleeper cell Owen, who turned out to be an unwilling Rittenhouse pawn, but whose true-believer brother Zac was determined to complete the mission to take out Denise Christopher.

Wyatt and Rufus caught up with Zac just in time – he had reached Denise's house, where they knew Lucy and Jiya to also be keeping an eye on things, and they spotted him waiting in his car, preparing to shoot through his open window. As Wyatt and Rufus drove up the road towards the house, they watched Zac step out of the car, his gun held upright. Wyatt put his foot down on the accelerator – Lucy was in there, after all – and rammed the car right into Zac. Once they had checked to see that he was dead, Wyatt hurried up to Denise's house and sneaked round the side; peering through the window, he caught sight of Lucy and Jiya – both looking fabulous in their colourful, glamorous eighties' attire – who appeared to be unharmed. Wyatt breathed out a sigh of relief, glad to see that Lucy seemed okay, and he gazed at her through the window for a while until he remembered that they had another Rittenhouse sleeper agent to deal with. However, when he and Rufus returned to Owen, they were horrified to discover that he had taken things into his own hands – fearing Rittenhouse's retribution, Owen had committed suicide.

When the team eventually returned to 2018, they were relieved to find a smiling Agent Christopher awaiting them in the bunker, overcome with gratefulness to the four of them. Once they had recovered and got changed into their modern-day clothes, Lucy immediately went to Flynn's room, to tell her new close friend about the events of the day, before heading into the kitchen to grab something to eat. Agent Christopher was already there, sat at one of the tables eating a cookie and drinking some tea.

'So I just had a talk with Rufus,' Agent Christopher said, looking slightly dazed. 'Apparently the sleeper was right outside my house, during my…engagement party. When you and Jiya were there. He was seconds away from shooting me when Wyatt…just ran into him with a car. What unbelievably lucky timing.'

Lucy smiled as she joined her at the table. 'Well, you know Wyatt. He never hesitates to go in for the kill when he has to.'

'I wouldn't be so sure about that,' Agent Christopher said, frowning. 'He couldn't even shoot your mother.'

There was a short pause.

'What do you mean?' Lucy asked in a quiet, uneven voice, trying to keep her expression and tone neutral.

'Oh, he didn't tell you. Of course he didn't,' Agent Christopher murmured apologetically, and she rolled her eyes. 'That day a few weeks back, when we sent him on the raid of Rittenhouse headquarters. He had a camera attached to his gear, we saw exactly what happened when he infiltrated their base. Your mother turned up. He had a clear shot – for at least ten seconds, actually – but he didn't take it.'

Lucy looked stunned. 'W-why?'

Agent Christopher tilted her head at her. 'Oh, Lucy, I think you know why,' she said gently.

Lucy looked down and swallowed. She didn't want to be seen as 'the dirty mistress'. As far as everyone else in the bunker was concerned, aside from Rufus, Wyatt had always been married to Jessica. So how was it Agent Christopher could see past that simple fact? Lucy glanced up, mortified, and saw to her surprise that Agent Christopher had a sympathetic smile and a knowing gaze on her face

'We never really told you what he was like when you were missing. Those six weeks while you were at Rittenhouse,' she said softly, and she sighed. 'He was a mess, Lucy. He barely coped without you here. He spent every waking moment trying to figure out where you could be and how to get you back. I hate to admit that most of us were resigned to accept that…you were dead. But he had faith. He believed you were still out there somewhere, because…at the end of the day, he couldn't conceive the idea of a world without Lucy Preston in it.'

Lucy hesitated, not quite sure what to say in response to that pronouncement. 'I-I don't understand. As far as you're concerned…Wyatt's been married this whole time. Jessica's…well, she wasn't technically 'around' until recently, but…she's still been his wife. In your timeline, that is. Why would he be so bothered by me being gone?' she asked, confused.

'Because we're a family. Wife or no wife, you mean the world to him,' Agent Christopher replied, as if it were obvious. 'Before you guys came back from Hollywood, we were used to a very different Wyatt around the bunker. Drunk, bitter, grouchy…but then whenever you came into the room, he'd light up like it was his birthday. He's a different man now to the one we knew before your mission to Hollywood – different versions, I guess, different timelines…ah, if only time-travel wasn't so complicated. But you've made him better.'

Lucy was speechless. She couldn't believe what Agent Christopher was saying. She didn't want to believe it…it only made it more impossible to get over the man living just across the corridor from her.

'I know you're trying to keep your distance from him, Lucy, and I understand why. I can't imagine how painful it must be for you to see him with Jessica. But still…you shouldn't shut him out,' Agent Christopher said gently. 'We may all have different memories of what's happened, what's real, what people are like…but no matter what timeline everyone has experienced, one thing remains constant: Wyatt's devotion to you.'

* * *

A couple of days later found Wyatt strolling along the empty bunker corridor, only to hear some loud music blaring from the bathroom. It was a song he recognised – Lucy had been playing it repeatedly recently – but what made him freeze was the angelic sound of her voice singing along. Lips parting in surprise, Wyatt tentatively approached the ajar bathroom door, and peered through.

Lucy was in her scruffy clothes and knelt down beside the shower cubicle, scrubbing the grimy floor fiercely, a bucket filled with cleaning appliances propped up next to her. 'Rewrite the Stars' was blasting out from Jiya's portable speakers that she'd borrowed, and Lucy was singing her heart out as she worked, completely oblivious to Wyatt.

' _You think it's easy…you think I don't want to run to you…But there are mountains…and there are doors that we can't walk through…'_

Wyatt leant against the doorway and smiled wistfully at her. He had missed the sound of her voice. As he watched Lucy, he suddenly found himself reminiscing about their eventful trip to Bonnie and Clyde's hideout. He could vividly remember their first kiss on that tense night: slow, passionate, lingering…the way they'd looked at each other afterwards, more affected by the moment than either of them expected or cared to admit…

' _No one can rewrite the stars…how can you say you'll be mine? Everything keeps us apart…and I'm not the one you were meant to find…'_

Wyatt's smile faded slightly as Lucy continued to clean, while she sang as if her heart was breaking. He got a sudden image of Lucy's face crumbling angrily before him, surrounded by marching suffragettes… _'You got the love of your life back, Wyatt, and I got the rug pulled out from under me again…'_ Her words had destroyed him, but he knew not half as much as they had destroyed her. He had hurt her so much. _So_ much. And he hated himself for it.

' _All I want is to fly with you…all I want is to fall with you…so just give me all of you…-_ '

But then Lucy broke off with a little yelp as she looked over her shoulder and caught sight of Wyatt stood watching her in the doorway. She leapt to her feet, mortified.

'Oh my God, Wyatt, how long have you been there?!'

Wyatt chuckled softly. 'Long enough to get into your performance,' he murmured slyly, trying to put on a brave face, and Lucy clasped a hand to her head as her cheeks burned a bright red.

The speakers fell silent as she stopped the music hastily on her cell phone. 'Oh, God…sorry, if I was being loud…'

'Lucy, it's fine,' Wyatt reassured her. 'But you shouldn't be doing that, it's my turn to clean-'

'It's all right, I've got it,' Lucy said airily, squeezing out the dirty water from her cloth into the sink.

Wyatt frowned. 'But the chore wheel-'

'To hell with the chore wheel, I've got it, okay? Honestly, it's fine,' Lucy insisted, rinsing her equipment and putting them back in the bucket. 'I actually…it kinda helps, doing stuff like this around the bunker. Takes my mind off things.'

He didn't need to ask what she meant by that. He knew. Everyone in this bunker knew. Suddenly Wyatt had become more of a 'bad guy' than even Flynn now was…and who could blame everyone for thinking that? He had made Lucy miserable, he had caused her pain, he had ruined everything. But it was no good going back to try and fix it. Not even having a time machine could help fic that.

'I guess it kinda helps having _The Greatest Showman_ soundtrack on repeat to keep you company,' Wyatt said, nodding his head at the speakers.

Lucy smiled in spite of herself. 'You know how determined I was not to like that movie, I mean, it's _so_ historically inaccurate…but it is a hell of a good movie,' she admitted with relish. 'I just…I love the songs so much.'

Wyatt laughed. 'It's nice…to hear you singing again.'

'Again?' Lucy said sceptically, raising her eyebrows. 'You've only heard me sing once before.'

'Yeah, nowhere near enough. When the TV set breaks for good this time, you can be our new evening entertainment,' Wyatt suggested playfully.

'If I'm bored to death, I might actually take you up on that,' Lucy replied, smirking. 'Could do with a bit more music in our lives at the minute.'

'I couldn't agree more.'

It took them a moment to realise that they were laughing with each other and talking normally…just like they had before. As if nothing had happened. Wyatt knew that now would be a key opportunity to reveal to Lucy the unexpected news Jessica had announced to him recently…after all, he'd been trying to catch her at a good time to tell her privately, because it was undoubtedly going to be hard to process – he was having enough difficulties himself, after all – but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not just yet. The atmosphere was light and playful now, and the two of them were smiling admiringly and gazing at each other as if there wasn't anything wrong between them. Only there was. Lucy's smile faltered slightly; she'd got so lost in their banter and his smile and his eyes that she'd momentarily forgotten that his wife was in a room merely down the corridor. She turned away from him – it was easier to avoid his eye contact when he was looking at her like _that_ – and faced the mirror, looking down and resting her hands on the sink as she breathed heavily.

 _This isn't the past. This isn't like it was before. Remember what you said to him the other week. We have to accept it. And move on._

Lucy kept trying to listen to the small voice in her head, but it was no use. And before she had time to think, she suddenly said aloud the main thing that had been pressing on her for so long.

'I miss you.'

The words came out softly, in almost a whisper, as she stared at the reflection of the sink in the mirror, ashamed to let her mask fall. But she couldn't help it. She'd been yearning for his company for so much, for it to be just the two of them the way it used to be…and just now, they'd had a small glimpse of that. And it had made her heart flutter, like a tiny beacon of hope.

Wyatt's lips parted, shocked. He'd thought she was happily getting over him, he'd thought she'd been eager to keep her distance from him, to keep things cool and professional, and it not be that much of a struggle for her. Apparently he had been wrong.

Swallowing, Wyatt stepped forward, closing the bathroom door gently behind him, and slowly approached her. Lucy felt almost breathless as she felt him near her, too afraid to meet his eyes in the reflection of the mirror. And then he was there, stood closely behind her, his heavy, nervous breath on the back of her neck…and yet still she couldn't look at him.

'I miss you too,' Wyatt murmured, and he reached out to touch her hand.

For the first time since Jessica's arrival, Lucy didn't flinch or move away, even though she knew she should…and so Wyatt slowly intertwined his fingers with hers, and it was a blissful relief in a way, just to hold some part of her, to know that he wasn't alone in this, that the love was still there between them…even when neither of them wanted it to be. It only made their situation more unbearable. As his warm fingers gently rubbed hers, Lucy felt a tingling urge for Wyatt to move just a little closer so that he could press his lips to her neck…she could remember just how he had kissed her there that night in Hollywood…how he had kissed every inch of her body, making her feel things she didn't know were possible, making her feel loved and wanted…

That night felt like a lifetime ago now. Or a dream.

Lucy exhaled deeply, still determinedly staring down at the sink. 'I know you got the chance to take out my mother in the Rittenhouse raid. Agent Christopher told me. Why didn't you take the shot?' she asked quietly, and for the first time since he had come to stand behind her, she looked up at the mirror to meet the reflection of his smouldering eyes.

There was a short silence.

'You know why.'

Lucy stared back at his reflection for a moment, the two of them communicating without words as they got consumed in each other's gaze, before she slowly turned around to face him, her fingers still intertwined in his. Their faces were inches away from each other's, close enough to kiss…

Lips trembling, Lucy then withdrew her hand from his. 'I can't, I can't…' she murmured hopelessly, and she brushed past him, abandoning the cleaning bucket and speakers in her need to get out of this room as quickly as possible.

As the door closed behind her, Wyatt stared at the broken tile of the bathroom wall, his hand shaking slightly at what had nearly just happened. That had been far too close.

Lucy had been right, after all – they needed distance. They needed to accept that Jessica was here. Wyatt had never once imagined that the reappearance of his previously-dead wife would make him so turmoiled and full of anguish…was it wrong that he felt this way? What kind of monster had he turned into?

Shaking his head, Wyatt crossed the bathroom to open the door, only to have Lucy nearly topple backwards onto the floor before he caught her; it appeared that she had rested her back against the door the moment she had closed it.

'Oh!' Lucy gasped, flustered, as Wyatt helped her straighten up. 'Oh, s-sorry, I…'

Wyatt released his hold of her at once, though reluctantly. 'Lucy…' he began softly, desperately, but Lucy shook her head.

'No. No, Wyatt,' she said firmly, taking an unsteady step backwards.

Wyatt took in her broken expression for a moment, then nodded. 'Okay,' he murmured.

Lucy nodded back at him, and then, without a word, began to walk away down in the corridor. Wyatt watched her go, a part of him yearning to run after her, take her in his arms and pick her up bridal-style, just how he did in the dream he now kept having every night, to tell her he had changed his mind, that he was hers and only hers…

But then Wyatt turned around and walked away in the other direction, tears glistening in his eyes.


	35. Mr & Mrs Logan's Big News

**This chapter covers the first half of 2x09 :)**

* * *

A few days later found Lucy sat waiting anxiously at one of the kitchen tables, watching with wary eyes as Agent Christopher and Connor Mason paced agitatedly around the kitchen. They had called the team for an urgent meeting, and from the look of dread on their faces, Lucy had a feeling it wasn't going to be a light topic of conversation.

'You wanted to see us?' Wyatt said as he strolled into the room; he attempted a smile at Lucy as she looked around in her chair to face him.

'Wait, where's Flynn?' Lucy asked, frowning, and Wyatt rolled his eyes.

'I think he's still asleep,' Rufus said as he entered the room and grabbed a chair to join Lucy at the table. 'You ever hear him snoring? Dude needs a CPAP.'

'No Flynn, just you three. What we're about to tell you stays between us…for Wyatt's sake,' Agent Christopher said, a rather ominous tone to her voice as she flashed Wyatt a look of concern.

Wyatt frowned, confused, and exchanged a bewildered glance with Lucy. 'For _my_ sake?'

'I found some…shall we say…troubling…files on the Rittenhouse computers,' Mason replied awkwardly, and with an apologetic glance at Wyatt he turned around the tablet in his hands.

On its display appeared to be a black-and-white CCTV photograph…of someone who looked extremely familiar.

Rufus leaned forward, perplexed. 'Is that Jessica?'

Lucy automatically looked up at Wyatt from the table, concerned.

'When was that taken?' Wyatt asked, staring in disbelief at the surveillance photo of his wife on the screen.

'There are hundreds of these, going all the way back to Jessica's childhood,' Mason said, his face creased with worry, and Wyatt unfolded his arms, horrified.

'Rittenhouse has been following Jessica her entire life?' Lucy said quietly.

'W-why would they do that?' Wyatt asked, scared to know the answer.

'That's what we've been trying to figure out for a week now,' Agent Christopher replied.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows at her, appalled. 'You've known about this for a week?' he said, his voice tremoring with anger, and Lucy watched him as he took a step forward to Agent Christopher. 'You're just now telling me?'

'Look…I'm treading cautiously here. But Rittenhouse brought Jessica back from the dead for a reason, Wyatt,' Agent Christopher said, an almost apologetic tone to her voice, and Lucy's eyes widened as she realised what she was implying.

'Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you saying Jessica works for Rittenhouse?' Rufus said, half-afraid, half-sceptical, and Wyatt laughed without humour.

'The truth is…we don't know who she is.'

'Yeah, we do,' Wyatt said loudly, his temper getting the better of him, 'she's my wife. I've known her since high school.'

'No, Wyatt,' Mason disagreed softly. 'To be precise, you knew _a_ Jessica who sadly passed away. This Jessica could be…different.'

Trying to keep a level head, Lucy glanced up at Wyatt again; he was looking back at her hopelessly, and she gave a little helpless shrug of her shoulders. She didn't know what to say or what to think. She felt almost like she was biased on any issues concerning Jessica – even though the two got on well, they hadn't exactly warmed to each other, perhaps because the two were highly aware that they were the other's competition.

'Do you have any reason at all to suspect Jessica of anything?' Agent Christopher asked Wyatt.

'Come on. This is insane,' Wyatt protested, laughing at the preposterousness of it all as he tried to ignore the way his heart was racing in dread.

'If she were Rittenhouse, wouldn't she have tried to kill us by now or given up our location?' Lucy pointed out.

'Exactly, thank you,' Wyatt said, overwhelmingly relieved – not to mention, surprised – that even after everything, Lucy was backing him on this. She was always there to support him, no matter what.

'Wyatt, I'm moving her out of the bunker. It's the safest thing for Jessica and for us,' Agent Christopher said firmly.

'Wait, wait, _what_?!' Wyatt demanded, incredulous.

'Wouldn't that put her in danger if she's not Rittenhouse?' Lucy asked in concern, frowning.

'We will provide her with around-the-clock protection.'

Wyatt was staring at her in outrage. 'Jessica's not going anywhere.'

'I know this isn't easy for you, but you're a soldier, and you need to think of the mission,' Agent Christopher said sternly. 'Jessica's a potential security risk.'

'She's pregnant!'

Lucy looked up at him, shattered. She wanted so desperately to believe that he was lying to get his own way, but she could see it in his raging eyes. He was telling the truth. And yet still, she couldn't process the words that had just come out of his mouth.

'You throw her out, I go too,' Wyatt said in a dangerous voice, glaring at Agent Christopher before turning and walking away.

Lucy stared into space as he passed her, in pure disbelief, and as she listened to his angry footsteps walk off down the corridor, she turned blankly to Rufus. 'She's what?' she whispered, shaken.

'I think he just said she's pregnant,' Rufus said, dumbfounded, and Lucy felt her broken heart sink deep into the pit of her stomach as the overwhelming pain hit her.

'That went well,' Mason said sarcastically as they watched Wyatt march away.

Just then the familiar alarm began to blare across the bunker. Rufus leapt to his feet to join Agent Christopher and Mason by the operations desk to see where the Mothership had jumped to, but Lucy couldn't even move. She was frozen, unable to comprehend the news that Wyatt had just angrily spat at them all.

She wished she could have found out differently…that he would have thought to tell her privately before, in a more considerate manner. He knew how painful and difficult it had been for her seeing him and Jessica together around the bunker, but _this_ …for him to just spring this news without even thinking about the consequences, without a care in the world about how much this would hurt her…it only made Lucy feel like their special connection with each other was well and truly broken now. Not to mention the fact that Jessica's pregnancy was tangible proof of something Lucy had been denying to herself these past few weeks: that Wyatt and Jessica had been physically intimate with each other, on many occasions, while she had been living in the room just down the corridor from them. The married couple were happy and in love and serious now, and there was no going back with a baby on the way, not even a slither of hope for Lucy that things could change back to how they once had been, back when she had been happy. Wyatt had moved on so quickly and gone on with his romantic life like Lucy had never really been a proper part of it. Lucy had just been an afterthought, a casual fling, perhaps. A second choice. After all this time, and after all those stolen, intimate moments between Lucy and Wyatt before Jessica's return…and yet it had always been really about Jessica. And that was what Lucy found so very hard to process…and to forgive.

'Hey.'

Lucy jumped out of her reverie and looked up with wet eyes to see Wyatt himself stood beside her, his hand on the back of her chair. The alarm had been switched off and everyone was gathering around the operations desk. Wyatt's lips parted as he took in Lucy's broken expression, and he groaned as he realised what an idiot he had just been. Lucy said nothing and simply gazed back at him as the guilt flooded through him. Wyatt hated himself; he had been so insensitive, he had blurted out his news without even thinking…and he wanted so dearly to apologise to Lucy but he was still so angry. He was angry that Agent Christopher wanted to force his own wife out of the bunker. He was angry that the people he considered his family were so quick to suspect Jessica. And he was angry that he was still so consumed by Lucy, that there was a place in his heart for two women. Why couldn't he just let her go? And why did he always find a way of hurting her when she was last person in this world he wanted to cause pain?

Wyatt clasped a hand to his forehead. 'Oh God, Lucy, I-'

But Lucy had already got up off the chair and headed over to the operations desk without a word. Wyatt took a moment to close his eyes and exhale deeply before following her.

'South Carolina, June the 1st, 1863,' Mason was saying, as he analysed the Mothership readings on the screen.

'We're going back to the Civil War again. Yay,' Rufus said sarcastically.

'So why South Carolina?' Agent Christopher asked Lucy.

'I don't know,' Lucy replied helplessly, her tone empty. 'Fort Sumter was a couple of years before, the assault on Fort Wagner isn't for another month…'

'Wait, wait, wait. What about the Combahee River Raid?' Rufus suggested, as Flynn joined them.

Lucy hesitated for a moment, stunned that she apparently couldn't even do her one job as a historian anymore, and she closed her eyes, trying to fight back the tears. 'Oh, um…of course,' she said in an unsteady voice, and she folded her arms protectively as she shook her head, trying to clear her mind. 'It was that night.'

She was trying to keep herself composed, but her head wasn't in the game. She felt so vulnerable. So betrayed. So weak and pathetic. She should have known at once about the Combahee River Raid, but had completely forgotten about it. She had been too busy trying not to cry. And now she felt more alone than ever as everyone watched her expectantly, wondering what was wrong and waiting for her to do her magic and recount in detail the historical events of that date. Even with her back to him, Wyatt could tell from her closed-off body language just how distraught Lucy was. And once again it was all his fault.

'Oh, come on, Lucy, defend your territory,' Flynn said encouragingly, as he dug into cereal. 'You're the history geek.'

He was trying to support her, Lucy knew that, but he wasn't helping. She was barely holding it together. Wyatt slowly looked up and glared at Flynn; who did he think he was to speak to Lucy like that? Did he have no awareness of the fact that she was clearly not in her best place?

'It was a regiment of mostly Black Union soldiers who planned a surprise attack on dozens of plantations in the middle of the night,' Lucy explained, her tone and expression emotionless. 'Torched fields. Freed hundreds of slaves. If Rittenhouse stops it, it's a serious blow to the Union.'

'Attagirl, show 'em who's boss,' Flynn said, impressed, as he tried to cheer her up.

Lucy glanced up at him and gave a slight shake of her head, silently asking him to stop. She appreciated that he was there for her, that he was supporting her, but now was not the time. She wasn't in the mood to be the enthusiastic historian coming up with possible theories and solutions to Rittenhouse's potential plans. She couldn't be that person right now.

'There's more,' Rufus interjected, and everyone looked around at him. 'It was led by Harriet Tubman.'

'You think Rittenhouse is trying to derail the Underground Railroad?' Agent Christopher asked, frowning.

'No. The Underground Railroad was humming for years before that,' Lucy replied, her tone still blank. 'During the war, Tubman was actually a Union spy. They called her-'

'They called her 'The General',' Mason finished for her enthusiastically.

Rufus frowned. 'How'd _you_ know that?'

'Oh, well, she's not just an American hero. Uh, across the pond we even have streets named after her,' Mason replied simply, smiling.

'So they are going after Tubman and her men,' Agent Christopher said heavily. 'Wyatt – you have anything you'd like to add?'

Wyatt looked up at her. 'Why? Obviously you all are the experts at everything,' he muttered, and Lucy looked down at her feet, glad she could not see his expression; she hated it when Wyatt got passive aggressive.

'Let's get going,' Agent Christopher said decisively.

As everyone moved forward to make preparations, Wyatt leaned off the table and glared at Agent Christopher. 'She better be here when I get back,' he said, an almost warning tone to his voice.

'You have my word,' Agent Christopher promised.

Lucy went to freshen up and pin her hair up in the bathroom while Rufus and Wyatt bid farewell to their significant others. She took a few minutes to let herself release the tears that she had been holding back, and after a little cry, she left the bathroom…only to nearly bump right into Wyatt, who was walking past in the corridor to board the Lifeboat. They both froze on the spot and looked each other for a moment. Neither of them knew what to say.

Finally, Lucy sighed and forced herself to break the silence. 'So a little heads-up would have been nice,' she said quietly.

'I know,' Wyatt murmured, his voice breaking as he took in her bloodshot eyes, the dried tear-streaks on her face. 'And I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you before, but…there hasn't been the right moment.'

Lucy frowned. 'Were you ever expecting there to be? Seriously?' she challenged, and for the first time since he'd revealed Jessica's pregnancy, there was life in Lucy's voice again…the emotion of real human.

'You can't be angry at me,' Wyatt said, an almost pleading tone to his voice, as he scowled down at the floor. 'Not when you pushed me away. You _told_ me to go back to Jessica.'

'I know I did. And once again, I appreciate that you're blaming me for this awkward mess between me, you, and your wife,' Lucy said sarcastically. 'I just didn't expect you to get her pregnant merely _weeks_ after you were pouring your heart out to another woman.'

Wyatt's lips parted, stunned. 'I-I didn't mean for this to happen, it was an accident-'

'No, I get it,' Lucy interrupted sharply, 'you were too caught up in the passionate sex for you to even stop to think about birth control, and why would you? You're married, after all.'

There was a short silence as the two of them stared at each other. Wyatt was perplexed. Her reaction to his news had developed quite dramatically since they had been in the kitchen, and he did not mind admitting that he was a little afraid of this Lucy, and the truth-bombs she was hitting him with.

'I don't know what to say, Lucy,' he said quietly, and he took a step forward as he glanced around anxiously to make sure no one was in the vicinity overhearing them. 'Are you trying to make me feel more guilty than I already do?'

'I'm just trying to understand. If our night together in Hollywood meant as much as you said it did, if you really felt what you said you felt…You told me I saved you. You said…you could care again because of me, that you had a reason for living again. And then in the guest house…'

Lucy trailed off and looked away as the vivid images of that glorious night threatened to distract her, and she shook her head. Wyatt swallowed; he didn't realise that she thought longingly back to that night as much as he did.

'But then you just tossed all that aside like it was nothing and casually let slip back there that you're expecting a baby with your wife…without even one moment of consideration for how that news might affect me, how much it would _hurt_ me,' Lucy went on, her hand falling automatically to her chest, and Wyatt felt his eyes well up as her words stabbed him like knives. 'So how do I know that the things you said to me before were even true? How do I know our night in Hollywood wasn't just some rebound for you, to help you get back in the field or something? How do I know it wasn't meaningless?'

'Lucy, listen to yourself, you're torturing us both,' Wyatt said in a tremoring voice, shaking his head imploringly at her. 'You know how much that night meant to me, you _know_ I meant what I said.'

'It sure as hell doesn't seem that way. Our situation is awkward, it's difficult, I know that…but you've not handled it well. You've not treated me at all like I've deserved to be treated. You've not acted like the man I fell in love with,' Lucy said in a broken voice, and Wyatt's lip trembled, 'and I feel like I don't recognise you anymore – like I don't recognise _us_ anymore – and I…I'd just appreciate it if you were honest with me, about any feelings towards me that you may have exaggerated before, and…if you could give me some warning before you drop another bombshell, like, I dunno, you and Jessica renewing your wedding vows in the bunker or something. Quite frankly, nothing would surprise me now.'

Wyatt was speechless, crushed. _'The man I fell in love with'_ … She had never said that to him before. He hadn't known. He hadn't realised. In that awful phone call last month, when Wyatt had told her that Jessica was alive again, Lucy had acted like it wasn't a big deal, and so he'd figured that maybe he had cared way more than her about their short-lived relationship, that his love for her wasn't reciprocated, that she didn't feel as strongly. If he'd known that wasn't actually the case, as he did now, then…things would perhaps have turned out differently. No, not perhaps – he _knew_ they would have.

'I wish I could be happy for you, Wyatt, I really do,' Lucy said in a small voice, as her eyes glistened with tears. 'But this other…complication we've got going on now, with Rittenhouse monitoring Jessica-'

'Don't bring that into this,' Wyatt cut over her, suddenly angry again. 'It's Christopher making ridiculous accusations-'

' _Are_ they ridiculous?' Lucy demanded, glaring at him. 'Really?'

Wyatt was appalled. 'Wow,' he exhaled, disappointment raging through him. 'I get you're angry with me for what I've done, and you have every reason to be, but to take Christopher's side on this just because you don't like me and Jessica being together-'

' _I_ don't like you being a self-obsessed jackass who takes his temper out on the people who care about him and who's in denial of even facing the possibility that something could be off with Jessica. And I don't like you thinking I can't think straight just because what, you think I'm some bitter, green-eyed monster now?' Lucy snapped in outrage, and Wyatt flinched away from her, ashamed. 'Your blissful married life is irrelevant to what Agent Christopher talked to us about earlier. We're talking about a Rittenhouse threat. So you're the one that needs to get your head straight and start thinking clearly about what's at stake here and how much you're willing to risk for the sake of your damn loyalty.'

There was a pause as Lucy breathed deeply, her expression furious, and Wyatt stared back at her in shock. He began to nod, still a little shaken by her words and her attitude.

'You're being more frank with me than you have been ever since Jessica came back,' he murmured, unable to look into her eyes and see the anger there.

Lucy raised her eyebrows. 'I'm sorry if it's not a welcome change.'

'No, it…it's refreshing. I deserve it,' Wyatt said heavily. 'I'm still pissed that you all think Jessica could even be associated with Rittenhouse…but right now, I just want to focus on us. Before we go on the next mission. I want you and I to be okay. I want to fix this.'

Lucy frowned; when would he understand? 'I don't think it _can_ be fixed,' she said in a small voice.

Wyatt gazed at her in despair, and reached out to touch her arm; his hand gently held it, moving slowly down to touch her wrist almost like the way he had done to bring her closer to him before kissing her in Hedy Lamarr's guest house. But this wasn't the guest house. This was the bunker, with his pregnant wife just down the corridor. And neither Lucy or Wyatt were the same people they had been on that night in Hollywood.

'Don't touch me, Wyatt,' Lucy said, closing her eyes as she backed away from him. 'And…please don't talk about 'us' again. We need a clean slate, I think.'

Lucy then turned and began to walk away, towards the Lifeboat. Wyatt stared at the spot where she had been stood in front of him for a few seconds, before turning to watch her go, his face falling. He had ruined everything. Never before had that been expressed more clearly to him.

Lucy then faltered and turned back to face him briefly. 'Oh – congratulations on the baby, by the way,' Lucy said quietly, her tone back to being empty as she tried to sound sincere.

And there it was. The nail on the coffin. Wyatt knew then that it really was well and truly over for the two of them. And what did they have left? The remains of a fractured friendship.

'Come on, Wyatt, chop chop, let's go!' Flynn then said as he appeared behind him in the corridor, and he clapped him on the back as he walked past, hurrying to catch up with Lucy.

Wyatt said nothing – he didn't even glare angrily after Flynn for daring to make physical contact with him – and simply stared after the two of them, at the way Lucy smiled at Flynn, the way he casually brushed his hand on her shoulder as he asked if she was all right. And in that moment Wyatt wished that he could just sink through the floor and disappear for good.

* * *

When the team arrived in South Carolina, 1863, they were surprised to find it a pleasantly warm, sunny day, and managed to steal some appropriate clothes from a nearby farmhouse easily enough. Once Lucy had got into her dress, she emerged outside to find Wyatt, dressed in a dark blue soldier's uniform, sat outside glancing at a map, trying to get his bearings and working out where they needed to go from here. She approached warily; when he heard her coming, Wyatt looked up at her, a sour look on his face, but then just as quickly looked away to focus his attention back on the map. Lucy stopped for a moment in disbelief, and then continued to walk past him, fighting the urge to roll her eyes; what right did he have to be angry at her? She didn't regret what she had said to him earlier in the bunker, even if it had meant their journey in the Lifeboat had been more tense and awkward than ever. He'd needed to hear it. She just couldn't tell now whether he was angry over that, or over Agent Christopher's reservations about Jessica. She decided to assume it was the latter.

Lucy sighed. 'I don't think you should be angry at Christopher,' she said to him, as she hung up some clothes on the washing line outside the farmhouse. 'She's just trying to protect us.'

'Who's angry?' Wyatt muttered defensively, scowling up at her. 'I'm just reading a map.'

'Look, I get how hard this Jessica thing must be, but…we just have to keep an open mind,' Lucy said calmly.

Wyatt couldn't believe her. She had been so explosive earlier about this issue, and yet now she was talking about it as if she were simply discussing the weather. Her fluctuating moods were maddening and her current attitude made him, if possible, even more rattled up.

'Yeah, an open mind,' Wyatt said sardonically, turning away, 'that my wife is a cult-loving, sociopathic traitor.'

Lucy looked around at him wearily. 'Rittenhouse took those photos for a reason. They brought her back for a reason,' she insisted.

'Yes, to distract us, in which case, Christopher freaking out is exactly what they want,' Wyatt said irritably, raising his voice and unable to look at her.

'I hope so,' Lucy said, and she meant it, because even with how angry she was at Wyatt, she still cared deeply for him and she knew what it would do to him if it turned out Jessica was not who he thought she was. 'We just…we have to be sure.'

At this, Wyatt leapt to his feet, furious. 'What do you want me to say, Lucy?' he shouted, and Lucy flinched. 'That my wife is a liar? Hell, maybe she's lying about being pregnant too!'

Lucy said nothing. She didn't need to; Wyatt could see it in her eyes.

Wyatt tilted his head at her. 'You _do_ think she's lying about that,' he said in a low voice, and it was this that hurt him most.

They stared at each other for a moment, but then Wyatt could bear the pity in Lucy's eyes no longer; shaking his head dismissively, he pushed past her and stormed off. Lucy watched sadly as he walked away, barely hearing Rufus and Flynn as they approached her from the farmhouse.

'What's up with Captain Sunshine?' Flynn asked Lucy in an almost joyful tone as he adjusted his jacket sleeves.

Lucy turned back to him exasperatedly; how was it that out of all of them, Flynn ended up being the bright, enthusiastic one? She shook her head at him and walked off irritably after Wyatt; exchanging an awkward glance, Rufus and Flynn followed on.

The team hadn't been walking long when they came across the dead bodies of the 2nd South Carolina, the only Union regiment in the area, who were originally supposed to have raided the plantation this very night. They quickly came to the conclusion that there must be a sleeper cell in the Confederate Army telling them what to do. Shortly after, they encountered Harriet Tubman herself, along with her followers, who revealed she was still determined to carry out the raid, and was planning to free the slaves by Willow Glen to help the cause. Lucy and the others convinced her to hold off for a few hours so they could find their Confederate spy, and in return they would provide as much help and reinforcement as they could for the upcoming raid.

While preparing for the raid at one of Tubman's safe houses, Lucy came across Wyatt in an adjoining shed, testing out and cleaning an impressive-looking rifle. Wyatt glanced briefly at her before turning back at the rifle; Lucy eyed it mischievously.

'Where'd you get that?' she asked.

Wyatt tilted his head at her. 'Harriet insists. I tried to tell her I am covered,' he said, indicating the modern pistol gun hidden under his jacket, 'but she's a little stubborn, in case you haven't noticed.'

'I noticed. She's going in outnumbered three-to-one,' Lucy said heavily.

'Well, we'll just have to get in and get out before things get too messy.'

'You mean, before her and her men are all killed?' Lucy said, raising her eyebrows.

'Hey, if you think you can talk her down, have at it,' Wyatt said encouragingly. 'Besides, we need her to show us the way.'

Lucy hesitated. 'I have a different idea.'

'Yeah? What's that?' Wyatt asked, impressed, and despite his foul mood, despite what had transpired between the two of them today, he couldn't help smiling playfully at her.

Lucy's eyes fell to his lips briefly, surprised by his sly smile, and she felt a small tingle, a tiny leap of her heart. 'You and Rufus go with Harriet, and…Flynn and I will ride to Port Royal to convince Colonel Montgomery to give her the troops that she needs for the raid,' she said in a low voice, almost reluctantly, watching Wyatt carefully as he looked away from her dismissively at the word 'Flynn'.

Until Lucy had said that, it had almost felt like things were normal. Just the two of them, discussing the plan for their mission, stood closely beside each other, playing off ideas, their eyes unable to leave each other's…even a hint of a smile shared between them. Their heated discussion from earlier, Wyatt's rude, aggressive attitude, the pregnancy reveal…it might as well all have been forgotten. But it had been too good to be true. Because Lucy had had to go and mention Flynn's name.

'You and Flynn?' Wyatt said teasingly, trying but failing to hide his bitter tone as he sneered at her. 'Of course.'

Lucy's face fell as she gazed at him, disappointed. Why did he have to be such a childish hypocrite? He had chosen Jessica…but she wasn't allowed to choose Flynn? She understood that he didn't completely trust Flynn yet, but still.

'You and Rufus are a better team,' Lucy pointed out.

Wyatt considered her for a moment. He didn't know whether she meant this as opposed to Wyatt and herself, or Wyatt and Flynn, but either way…she spoke the truth.

'Yeah, I suppose we are,' Wyatt replied, and there was something unkind in the way he spoke and looked at her that made Lucy somewhat uncomfortable.

'And Harriet likes you,' Lucy added hastily, trying to lighten the mood and steer the topic away from Flynn, but Wyatt was refusing to look at her or say anything. 'Just delay her for a few hours till we get back with the troops. Can you do that?'

'I'll do my best,' Wyatt snapped at her abruptly, giving her the fakest smile she had ever seen, and he grabbed the rifle and marched past her out of the shed.

Lucy stared into space for a moment, stunned. Jealousy was ugly on Wyatt.

When she eventually headed outside, Flynn had already gathered two horses for them both and was waiting patiently for her. As she headed over to join him, she heard Wyatt approach from behind, and was alarmed to see, when she reached her horse, that he appeared to be intending to walk over to help her up.

Lucy held her hand out to stop him. 'I've got it, Wyatt,' she assured him shortly, holding the hem of her skirts up slightly.

Wyatt halted and nodded at her, watching her carefully to make sure that she was all right as she hoisted herself up onto the horse. Lucy was livid; how dare he act so rudely towards her simply because she was splitting off with another man, and yet merely minutes later expect her to accept his gracious, gentlemanly help. Wyatt backed away awkwardly as he saw the irritation flitter across Lucy's face, and he realised that, once again, he was acting out-of-line. His head wasn't on straight, and no wonder – he couldn't stop worrying about Jessica, and the terrible possibility that Lucy and the others could be right to be wary. Could it really be true?

'I appreciate you trying, but Colonel Montgomery ain't coming back,' Harriet said to Lucy and Flynn firmly. 'He has new orders.'

'He'll come back when I tell him what'll happen if he doesn't,' Lucy said, as Wyatt glanced suspiciously back and forth between Lucy and Flynn, the latter of whom was glaring back challengingly at him from his horse.

'Oh, yeah? What's that?' Harriet asked.

'That the Union will lose the war,' Lucy replied simply.

'Confederate territory the entire way,' Wyatt said, concerned.

'I can handle a couple of farmers playing soldier,' Flynn said confidently, and in his self-satisfied smirk, Wyatt took that to mean that Flynn was going to protect Lucy from any harm that came their way…Wyatt knew this, and yet it still didn't ease his anxiety or anger or misery.

'Just…' Wyatt struggled as he turned to gaze half-worriedly, half-longingly up at Lucy. 'Be careful.'

Lucy felt her heart sink as she gazed back at him and gave a small nod. She could see the genuine concern there in his eyes, and she knew then that she had been silly to say what she'd said earlier about him not really caring or meaning any of what he had told her. She knew she meant a lot to him, no matter what.

Lucy tore her eyes off Wyatt. 'We'll come back with reinforcements,' she said to Harriet.

'Don't start the party without us,' Flynn said, and together he and Lucy turned on their horses and rode off into the woods side by side, unaware of Wyatt's eyes on them the whole time until they vanished from sight.

After a couple of hours of riding to Port Royal, Lucy and Flynn decided to take a break. They hadn't come across much trouble along the way – aside from one violent Confederate soldier who Flynn quickly shot down – and were in plenty of good time, so felt like they deserved a few minutes to catch a breath and get some food. As they finished eating their snack, the two new friends sat down side-by-side against a tree trunk, a pleasant summer breeze in the air, and Flynn smiled slyly at Lucy.

'So. You gonna tell me what's got Wyatt all worked up this time?' he asked.

Lucy grimaced. 'I shouldn't really. It's not my thing to tell but…'

'C'mon, it's me,' Flynn encouraged, and Lucy raised her eyebrows at him.

'Which is _why_ I shouldn't tell you,' she said, laughing. 'Wyatt would hate me. Mind you, I think he already kind of does.'

Flynn frowned. 'Why in God's name would he hate you?'

'I was rude to him earlier. I…kind of let everything out,' Lucy replied awkwardly.

'So you should. It's good to be honest with him, after what he's put you through.'

Lucy tilted her head at him. 'You don't even know the half of it.'

At this, Flynn smirked. 'You underestimate how drunk you got that first night you came round to my room, Lucy,' he said, amused, and Lucy laughed. 'And how detailed you are in that journal of yours. I think I've got a pretty good idea.'

'Okay…well…basically, he had big news for us this morning. W-well, he _and_ Jessica,' Lucy said, frowning sadly.

'Big news for the Logans, huh?' Flynn said, raising an eyebrow at her, and he grimaced. 'Tell me it's not what I think it is.'

Lucy nodded heavily. 'They're expecting a baby.'

'Oh dear. That's not ideal.'

'Not really. I'm…sort of happy for them, I guess,' Lucy said, bemused. 'I mean, when she was dead – in the original timeline –Wyatt said that Jessica always wanted a kid. And she never deserved to die, he never deserved to lose her…and for them to get this chance again and fix their marriage and start a family…it's wonderful. But I still…I still can't let go of these feelings.'

Flynn's face fell slightly. 'For Wyatt.'

'Yeah,' Lucy mumbled. 'I bet you think that sounds really pathetic, don't you?'

'Actually, on the contrary, I understand completely how we can't control what we feel for another person,' Flynn said sympathetically.

Lucy looked at him for a moment, then smiled. 'Well thank you. Even if you're saying that just to make me feel better. I just…it just makes it final now, you know?' she said glumly. 'I guess a really selfish part of me kinda hoped it wouldn't work out and Wyatt would come back to me. I know that sounds horrible but…I think some deep part of me really did think that. And now that won't ever happen.'

'Maybe that's a blessing in disguise, though,' Flynn said gently, trying to comfort her. 'Maybe…you deserve better than him. And now you can move on.'

'Maybe. I know you're probably right. And I hope that at some point, I'll see that for myself. But…even though he's so flawed and right now he's being this grouchy, selfish, blind idiot…I can't forget how…how amazing he is, all our good times together, how caring he's been, how he's…saved me, in more ways than I can count,' Lucy said yearningly. 'I know you disapprove, Flynn, and that's okay. But I can't help it. I love him.'

And in that moment, Lucy knew there was nothing she could do to make that disappear. No matter how angry she got at Wyatt, no matter what he did to unintentionally hurt her…she would always love him. Even when he had a baby on the way.


	36. The Truth About Jessica

**This chapter covers the last half of episode 2x09, and the beginning of 2x10.**

 **Sorry for the delay - I took a break for a few days to come to terms with the sad news that Timeless has been cancelled :(**

 **I'm not going to continue with the next chapter until next week, just so I can focus solely on writing to networks/streaming services and NBC about a possibility of a Season 3/wrap-up movie...the contracts expire on the 30th June so we'll find out soon whether the #SaveTimeless campaign is successful or not...After that, no matter what the outcome, I will continue writing this story! Thanks again for all your generous feedback and messages :)**

* * *

Wyatt was stood outside Harriet Tubman's safe house looking out at the lake, dressed in his ridiculous cream-coloured suit ready for their mission tonight to locate the sleeper in the Confederate army. He knew he ought to be drawing up plans and mentally preparing himself for the ordeal that was to come, but in reality his mind was only on Lucy. As it usually was. He hoped she was okay. He hoped Flynn was looking after her…within reason. What if they didn't return? What if something happened to her? Wyatt couldn't bear the thought, particularly after how their last few conversations had been so tense and heated.

He then heard tentative footsteps approach; it was Rufus.

'Are you ready?' Rufus asked, standing beside him.

'Another day at the office,' Wyatt replied wearily, and Rufus watched him in concern as Wyatt pulled out his modern pistol gun and checked the bullets.

'So, you know we're friends, right?' Rufus said after a short pause. 'Like…bro code and all that, I got your back?'

Wyatt sighed exasperatedly. 'Rufus,' he said without looking at him, 'whatever you're gonna say, just say it.'

'It's about Jessica,' Rufus murmured. 'You seemed a little defensive-'

'Stop,' Wyatt snapped, agitated. 'Not another word.'

'Oh, like now. Now? Totally not defensive,' Rufus said, raising his eyebrows.

'She isn't Rittenhouse!' Wyatt said firmly. 'It's not true.'

'I…hope you're right, I _think_ you're right, but there is a _lot_ at stake here,' Rufus said, a hint of desperation in his voice. 'We just gotta be sure.'

And suddenly Wyatt could hear Lucy's earnest words from earlier in his ear…' _We have to be sure_.'…Oh, Lucy.

'It can't be true,' Wyatt said in a tremoring voice, and he turned to face Rufus. ''Cause if it is…I'm done.'

Rufus's lips parted in horror; Wyatt looked like he was on the verge of tears.

'I lost her once, I just…can't lose her again,' he murmured, his bottom lip trembling slightly. 'I just can't.'

In that moment Wyatt realised that he wasn't completely sure who in particular he was talking about. Who was he more scared about losing? Jessica, for potentially betraying him by working secretly with a tyrannical cult that he was fighting against? Or Lucy, for being crushed and unable to forgive him for tossing her aside for a woman who turned out to be an evil psychopath like nearly everyone else they had once trusted? Either way…if Agent Christopher was correct in her accusations, then both Lucy and Jessica would disappear from Wyatt's life. And suddenly Wyatt then knew who he would miss and crave for the most if either of them were to leave his side.

'I-I-I get it,' Rufus said sympathetically, hating himself for having to put Wyatt through this. 'I'm just asking you to consider it. If there is _anything_ with her or her family that doesn't add up, just…say something. That's all.'

Wyatt looked down as he shook his head and shrugged his shoulders helplessly. He knew it was wrong to keep it a secret…but he just couldn't bring himself to voice his suspicions about Jessica's brother and his mysterious life-saving treatment in early childhood. He couldn't. Because if this impossible, heart-breaking suggestion about Jessica was in fact true…if she really _was_ Rittenhouse…then it would mean that it had all been for nothing. And Wyatt just couldn't take that. All that pain he had caused Lucy…all his inner conflict over the two most important people in his life…Only maybe it was time for Wyatt to finally accept the truth he had been denying to himself for a while now. He no longer held Lucy and Jessica in the same high regard as each other. It was time for him to come to terms with that, regardless of whether Jessica was loyal or Rittenhouse, and no matter how guilty it might make him feel…

Only one of them was the person Wyatt couldn't bear to live without. He saw that now. Perhaps he had always seen it, and had just been repressing the realisation out of guilt, and loyalty to his marriage vows. But that person was Lucy, and there was no point in him trying to disregard that fact anymore. He needed to be honest. He needed to stop being unfair to both his wife and his friend…his friend who he was still irrevocably in love with. He just hoped it wasn't too late for him to sort out his messy romantic life, for him to explain the truth to Jessica about how he was feeling…for him to fight for Lucy. Because Wyatt knew now that was what he needed to do.

First, before he did anything else, he needed to prove that Jessica was not Rittenhouse, that she was loyal to their cause, because he still cared for her deeply and she was carrying his child, and he wanted them both to continue to be in his life in whatever way they could. And only then would Wyatt finally let himself be true to his heart…and try to find that sweet happiness he had shared for a brief time in a gorgeous, candlelit Hollywood, with the one woman who he still couldn't stop thinking about: Lucy Preston.

* * *

It later transpired that the sleeper agent was Confederate Colonel Ryerson, who had been using a history textbook from the present day to outmanoeuvre Union forces and drive away Colonel James Montgomery and his forces. Wyatt, Rufus and Harriet Tubman managed to defeat Ryerson and the confederates, however, with help from the reinforcements Lucy and Flynn luckily returned with. Once back at the bunker in 2018, they were all pleased to find out that history had not been significantly changed…and Harriet Tubman had still managed to free the slaves.

'Looks like the Combahee River Raid is now the Willow Glen Plantation Raid,' Rufus explained, as he, Wyatt and Flynn read the Wikipedia article displayed on the tablet in his hands. 'A decisive one for the Union, led by Harriet Tubman.'

'Hmm. I'm gonna go check on Jessica,' Wyatt said, smiling and beginning to walk away.

'Oh, uh, congratulations, by the way,' Flynn called after him, and Wyatt slowly stopped walking as he turned heavily to face him. 'Lucy gave me the news. Uh…you're gonna be a great father.'

Wyatt couldn't tell whether he was being sarcastic or not, but all he knew was that Flynn did not mean that sincerely in anyway. He glared warningly at him as Flynn cleared his throat, trying to repress an amused smile. ' _Lucy gave me the news_.' He knew how much that would anger Wyatt. He knew, and that was why he had said it in the first place. Knowing that if he opened his mouth to speak, he would end up shouting, Wyatt simply nodded and turned away to walk off down the corridor without a word.

His head bent low, he didn't notice Lucy walking up to him as he rounded the corner and undid his tie, but then finally he heard her quiet footsteps, and looked up. They both slowly came to a halt as they stared at each other. There was a fierce look in Wyatt's eyes that Lucy didn't quite understand, but Wyatt couldn't help feeling angry…despite his epiphany earlier, he was nevertheless irate with Lucy for talking about him to Flynn behind his back. It felt like in doing that, she had made her own choice as well. A choice he did not like, but had no right to protest. For a moment, Lucy looked hurt, and almost wary – and who could blame her, after the way Wyatt had acted around her today? – but then quickly recovered herself.

'Hey,' she greeted, forcing a smile.

Wyatt didn't smile back. 'So you told Flynn,' he said in a dry voice.

Lucy's lips parted, stunned. 'It was…a long ride to Port Royal,' she replied, her tone empty as she registered his disappointment in her. 'I mean, he was gonna find out sooner or later, wasn't he?'

'Yeah. Uh, whatever,' Wyatt said, trying to sound nonchalant.

'Okay,' Lucy murmured, resigned to the fact that Wyatt would now be in a mood with her for the rest of time, it seemed. 'Fine.'

Wyatt tried to smile reassuringly at her, for he hated to see her look so sad and despondent. 'We're good,' he said in a falsely bright tone.

'Great,' Lucy replied, though she did not believe him for one second, and she put on a smile so fake it hurt her cheekbones.

They both sounded so false, so insincere. Lucy hated it. When had they become like this? What had happened to them? They looked at each other for a moment, anguished and annoyed, and then Wyatt, laughing softly at the awkwardness of the situation, looked away and slowly began to walk on past her.

She didn't know what made her do it – she didn't know how she could even manage to do it after the way he had been so tetchy and grumpy around her since she had relayed some hard truths to him in this very corridor earlier this morning – but without thinking Lucy then reached out as Wyatt passed and drew her arms around his shoulders, forcing him to stop walking as she pulled him towards her. Surprised and unsure of what was happening, he let Lucy guide him closer to her…into a gentle hug.

Wyatt became very still at her tender touch, and all his agitation and anger suddenly vanished, his mind wiped of all turmoil. He was astonished that Lucy would initiate any gesture of physical affection, particularly after so many weeks of 'distance' and 'don't touch me, Wyatt'…but the way she was holding him now, it was as if she was soothing the savageness, the pain, the agony that had been torturing him for so long. She was showing him that she still cared, no matter what she might have said this morning, no matter how cold and distant she may have been towards him recently, and so Wyatt acted on instinct and hugged her back earnestly, deeply moved by the sentiment. He hadn't realised until now just how much he had needed to feel her arms around him, to feel her warmth, her support.

Wyatt pulled her closer to him, sinking right into her as he closed his eyes, buried his head in her shoulder and breathed in her wonderful scent that he had missed so much. As they embraced, their barrier of anguish and hostility melted away and they continued to hold onto each other lovingly, taking the moment in and cherishing it, wishing it could last forever. But…alas…it couldn't. They both knew it couldn't.

And so Lucy, realising the hug had lasted far too longer than appropriate, moved away from him, though kept her hands on his shoulders as she leaned back slightly, her face merely inches from his, and met his gaze. Wyatt simply stood there and stared back at her, overcome with love and longing, and he was so close to kissing her. And Lucy could see that. Stunned and a little afraid, her heart racing and her stomach filled with butterflies, Lucy hastily withdrew her arms from around him.

He nearly told her then. As they continued to gaze at each other…their noses inches away from touching, their eyes flickering to each other's lips…Wyatt wanted nothing more than to tell her that he had made his mind up. That he was going to tell Jessica he was in love with Lucy. But he was scared. What if Lucy thought that he was only doing this now because of Jessica's suspicious connection with Rittenhouse? What if Lucy thought him a terrible man for even considering to leave his wife who had just revealed that she was pregnant? What if Lucy had moved on with Flynn, and didn't think of Wyatt in that way anymore?

But he knew that not to be true. He could tell in the way she had hugged him just then, in the way she had lingered, the way she was gazing right at him. That hug had been an open door, full of forgiveness and love and warmth and comfort. He knew she still felt the same way as he did. He just didn't know what he could do about it now without making their lives even more disastrously complicated. He just wasn't sure what the right thing to do was, even though he knew what his heart begged for.

Before Wyatt had time to find the words, Lucy then nervously turned and walked away, breathless and shaken by what had just happened as she disappeared around the corridor where Wyatt had just come from…presumably to meet Flynn. Wyatt couldn't watch her walk away – he knew if he did, he wouldn't have the strength to resist calling her back or running to her and kissing her – and stayed staring at the spot where she had been stood barely inches from him, where her scent still lingered. He was so confused. So dismayed. So shocked by the affect she had over him, by the way her affectionate touch had stunned him into a silent, lovestruck, nervous wreck whose heart was racing faster than it had done even on Wendell Scott's racetrack.

He wished he had told her. He wished he had told her the truth. If only Wyatt had known, as Lucy had drawn him into that blissful hug, what would later transpire in merely a few hours' time. If he had, then he wouldn't have even hesitated for a second about telling Lucy how he felt. Otherwise it would have been too late.

* * *

Lucy hadn't been able to get to sleep on the couch again that night, so paid a visit to Flynn's room. It had become somewhat of a habit for the two of them to stay up until the early hours of the morning, either drinking or playing card games or simply talking, awkwardly treading water as they got to know each other more and became closer as friends.

'So…what do you think's going to happen…if this is still going on and we're still in hiding in this damn bunker when it's time for her to give birth?' Flynn was saying, as he finished off his can of beer. 'I mean, I think it's gonna take us a little longer than nine months to stop Rittenhouse for good.'

'I guess I'll just become a midwife and help deliver the baby and then we'll all raise the kid together here in this very child-friendly environment like one big happy family,' Lucy said brightly.

Flynn stared at her. 'Nice. I like your thinking.'

'Thank you,' Lucy said, and they both chuckled wryly…but their laughter was cut short as the familiar sound of whirring and rumbling began to start from outside in the corridor. 'Wait…is that the Lifeboat?'

Flynn looked perplexed. 'We didn't miss an alarm, did we?'

They both frowned in the direction of the closed bedroom door, unable to believe what they were hearing. But there was no mistaking the sound of the time machine's engine growing increasingly louder as it got ready to leave…

And then they heard Wyatt's voice yell out in despair from down the corridor. 'JESSICA!'

Lucy leapt up to her feet at once, terrified, and she glanced round at Flynn fearfully as they heard the sonic popping noise that signalled the Lifeboat's departure…followed by a heavy thump on the corridor floor.

'Wyatt,' Lucy said automatically, her voice shaking, and she ran over to fling the door open, grabbing her dressing gown as she went.

Flynn followed her as they ran down the corridor towards the main room of the bunker. The noise from moments before appeared to have woken the others as well; Mason, Agent Christopher, and Rufus were all charging along to find out what had happened.

Lucy saw him first; Wyatt seemed to have fallen backwards, and was struggling to sit up on the floor, groaning and evidently in agony. He was staring numbly at the spot where the Lifeboat had been stood moments before…but that was now empty. Lucy frowned anxiously as they hurried forwards; Wyatt's breathing was coming out in shaking, uncontrollable gasps, and he was visibly shaking, seemingly unaware of the people approaching him from behind.

'Where's the Lifeboat?!' Mason demanded as they all rushed over to him, horrified.

'Where's Jiya?' Rufus said, stunned.

'What happened?!' Agent Christopher asked, panicked.

'Wyatt!' Lucy cried.

It was the sound of Lucy's anxious voice that made Wyatt reluctantly speak up.

'It's Jessica,' he said heavily, panting, unable to look around at the others gathered behind him. 'She…she got my gun. Kidnapped Jiya. Took the Lifeboat.'

Rufus's eyes widened in outrage. 'She _what_?!' he said incredulously, gritting his teeth.

'Wait, wait, wait, hold on-' Lucy began, unable to process what Wyatt was saying, but Agent Christopher cut over her sharply.

'So-so Jessica _is_ Rittenhouse?'

'Rittenhouse has the Lifeboat?' Flynn murmured worriedly.

'What did she do with Jiya?' Rufus demanded loudly.

But Wyatt, still in shock, was unable to speak. He was unable to move or do anything. His ears were ringing, his eyes blurry, his head spinning. He couldn't believe this was happening. After all those warnings signs…after everything he had put Lucy through…and now he had risked the life of one of their own… _Jiya_ …what was he going to do? How could he make up for this? How could he even come to terms with it?

Trying to focus on what was going on around him, Wyatt then realised that Rufus was typing furiously on the computer systems to track the Mothership. He sounded angrier than ever before. Wyatt tried to get up to his feet while Lucy watched on in concern…but he couldn't feel his legs. He couldn't feel anything. He was completely numb, inside and out.

'Anything, Rufus?' Mason was asking urgently.

'No, nothing. I can't find them,' Rufus replied in a shaking voice, and Wyatt felt his heart sink even further.

'They might've disabled the tracker,' Mason suggested in a low, ominous voice.

Breathing deeply and trying to fight back tears at Rufus's clear distress, Lucy turned back to Wyatt, who had finally managed to struggle up to his feet, and was holding onto the metal stairwell for support, his head bent low as he stared at the ground and tried to steady himself. Lucy's lips began to tremble as she watched him. She wanted so much to walk up to him and hold him, to comfort him in whatever way she could, but it was no use. She couldn't do that, not now. It wasn't right. He had just been betrayed by his wife…the love of his life who he had only just got back from the dead. She couldn't even begin to imagine what he was going through right now.

'Is there another way to locate the Lifeboat?' Agent Christopher asked.

'The whole system is down. There's NOTHING!' Rufus shouted in frustration, slamming his fist down on the table, and Wyatt flinched.

'Hey, hey, we will find her,' Mason said firmly, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. 'All right?'

But then Rufus glared over at Wyatt and began to march over. 'We asked you,' he said in a tremoring, angry voice as he stormed up to Wyatt. 'I asked you to tell us if she said or did anything to make you think she was Rittenhouse!'

Lucy automatically rushed forward and put her hands out to stop Rufus getting any closer. 'He didn't do anything wrong, okay?' she said defensively, desperately sympathetic for Rufus. 'He-he didn't he didn't suspect anything.'

Wyatt closed his eyes. Lucy's words broke him. Of course she would come to his aid when everyone else was turning against him. But he didn't deserve her support. Not after what he had done. He turned heavily to face the others.

'I did,' he murmured.

Lucy spun round to face him in disbelief. 'What?' she asked in a small voice, confused.

Wyatt hesitated; he hated to see Lucy looking at him like that, in such despair. 'Her brother,' he replied.

'He's a mechanic in Hayward. We did a background check on him – it came out clean,' Agent Christopher said, perplexed.

'Yes, but in our original timeline…he died of leukemia when they were kids,' Wyatt revealed reluctantly.

Rufus took a step backwards in horror. 'What?'

'But here, Jessica said that he was saved by some sort of stem cell therapy, which…I-I assume was not around in the 1980s,' Wyatt went on, and he had to close his eyes so as not to look at the look of disappointment burning in Lucy's eyes.

'So what? You just lied?' Flynn said, sounding almost personally insulted.

'Why didn't you tell us?' Lucy asked, her voice quieter and higher than usual as she gazed at him, hurt.

'Because I wanted to figure it out first,' Wyatt replied earnestly, his eyes watering. 'I told her she had to leave the bunker. I was _trying_ to do the right thing, and…-'

He faltered as his gaze turned pleadingly back to Lucy. She was looking at him like she didn't recognise who he was at all. He had never hated himself more in that very moment. Despite all his doubts, despite how much he had wavered, he had ignored Lucy's advice and avoided even considering the very real – and, dare he say it now, obvious – possibility that Jessica was Rittenhouse, just because he hadn't been able to face the notion that he had made the wrong choice, that he had put Lucy through all that pain for nothing. And now his whole world was crumbling around him and there was nothing he could do about it but stare pitifully at Lucy as he wordlessly begged for her forgiveness.

'I-if your sister came back, would you assume that she was your sister, or would you think she's some sort of a traitor?' Wyatt asked her despairingly, on the verge of tears, but he realised too late that he had been wrong to say that.

It had become an unspoken agreement between Lucy and the team to not really talk about Amy – particularly not after Emma's guarantee that she had done all in her power to prevent them from being able to bring her back – and to bring up the topic in the middle of _this_? Lucy said nothing in response to Wyatt's insensitive comment; instead she merely gazed back at him in distress, shaking her head slightly, her eyes filled with tears and her lips pressed together to try and stop herself from crying. She couldn't believe him. She could not _believe_ him.

Wyatt's face fell as he glanced at everyone's expressions. They were all staring at him as if he were a stranger, a foolish outcast, an intruder. They were looking at him like he didn't belong there with them anymore. Maybe he didn't.

'I'm sorry,' Wyatt murmured, looking down.

Lucy's lips parted in outrage, but Rufus beat her to it –

'It's a little late for that,' Rufus said, his breathing rather shaky as he turned his back on Wyatt. 'Geez, we…we had those Rittenhouse photos and we did jack squat, and now Jiya's gone!'

Flynn raised his eyebrows. 'There's photos? No one told me about that.'

''Cause no one trusted that you wouldn't try to kill her,' Wyatt said in a low voice, and Lucy turned back to face him anxiously.

'Well, in hindsight, would that have been so bad?' Flynn said challengingly, walking right up to Wyatt.

'Watch your mouth,' Wyatt said in a warning voice.

'Okay, we're just trying to figure out what happened, Wyatt,' Lucy said nervously, trying to keep the peace between the two men, but Flynn was too rattled up.

'Let me just sum this up,' Flynn said irritably, 'Jessica was screwing you, she lied about being pregnant, and then she wrapped you around her finger just long enough so she could screw us too!'

Before Lucy knew what was happening, Wyatt had dived at Flynn; he shoved him forwards, throwing punches everywhere at the man he loathed so much, ignoring everyone's shouts as Flynn tried to fight back and restrain him.

'Guys, come on!' Mason yelled.

'Wyatt, stand down!' Agent Christopher ordered.

'Wyatt!' Lucy exclaimed, rushing forward to stop them.

She had never seen Wyatt so angry; she was alarmed by the way he had slammed Flynn against the wall, beating him with all the effort he could muster and wrapping his hands around Flynn's neck in a death choke. Panicking, Lucy reached out for Wyatt's shoulder.

'Wyatt!' she cried again, grabbing him and trying to pull him away, but Wyatt was ignoring everyone – he wasn't even aware of who was around him or who was saying what…all he could focus on was Flynn and how much he wanted to hurt him.

Instinctively, Wyatt threw his elbow back to hit Flynn again, but in doing so punched Lucy right in the face with his arm, knocking her off him. Yelling out in agony and surprise, Lucy stumbled backwards, shocked.

Wyatt immediately let go of Flynn and turned to face Lucy, horrified to see that she was clutching her chin painfully and staring at him with wide, fearful eyes. It was a sight that made him want to throw up, a sight that Wyatt knew he would never be able to forgive himself for. He felt like he was having an out-of-body experience.

 _No. This can't be happening. I can't have just done that. Please tell me I didn't just elbow Lucy in the face._

Panting heavily, Wyatt took a tentative step forward, having completely forgotten about Flynn. 'Lucy-' he began, reaching out, but Lucy held a hand out to stop him from approaching her.

'No!' she cut over him tearfully, backing away from him. 'No.'

As a tense silence fell across the bunker, Lucy and Wyatt stared at each other for a moment, both breathing deeply, both of their eyes glistening with tears, both in overwhelming pain. Wyatt didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say. He was only just realising how far he had come…how much he had changed, how much he had let Jessica consume him and take away the people that were most important to him…how much he had lost control. He wanted so desperately to turn back time…only his wife had stolen their time machine. Everything was falling apart.

Her chin throbbing and her heart racing from the trauma of what had just happened, Lucy then walked past Wyatt, refusing to look at him as she left. Wyatt saw a tear escape down her cheek as she passed, her breathing coming out in quiet gasps of horror, and he stared down at the floor, in disbelief of what he had just done. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have punched Lucy like that?

Wyatt turned back and watched as Lucy stalked away down the corridor, her face buried in her hands, and he realised then just how much he had hurt her…and not just physically. He had put her through so much. He had caused her so much pain. Wyatt felt like such a monster for it…and what made it worse was that Lucy had looked at him as if he were a monster too.

How was he going to dig himself out of this hole? How was he going to fix any of this? And would Lucy ever be able to forgive him for all he had done? In this moment, as Wyatt watched the rest of his team walk away from him and disperse, leaving him alone in the main room…he sincerely doubted it.


	37. Farewell Carol Preston

**This chapter continues 2x10 (to be concluded in the next chapter).**

 **Sorry for the delay in writing this - I spent a lot of last week focusing on the #SaveTimeless campaign and writing to/Tweeting at various networks and streaming services but evidently the campaign hasn't worked...I don't have high expectations for NBC to grant us a wrap-up movie, but I'd like to think there is still hope!**

* * *

The room was dark when Wyatt emerged tentatively in the doorway. He had spent the last hour alone in his and Jessica's room – half the time crying, the other half throwing all his wife's belongings and punching the wall while yelling out. No had come to check on him, or to stop him damaging the room. After all, why would they?

But now Wyatt was here, finally calmed down as he watched Rufus sat on the bed, at a complete loss with what to say. He knocked on the door as he slowly entered, and Rufus hastily wiped away his tears, but refused to look at him. Wyatt didn't blame him.

'Rufus, I'm so sorry,' Wyatt murmured, his voice slightly strained from his sobbing and angry shouting earlier.

'I don't wanna hear "sorry",' Rufus said, frowning up at him. 'I wanna hear you fix this.'

Wyatt's eyes flickered down; he hated to see Rufus give him such a look of hatred. 'I will,' he promised.

Rufus then got up from his bed and walked up to Wyatt, looking furious. 'You are so worried about your stupid Lucy-Jessica soap opera that you forgot that there are other people here,' he said in a tremoring voice, and his words cut Wyatt deeper than a knife. 'Who matter to each other. Who _love_ each other.'

Wyatt could do nothing more than stare back at Rufus. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what he could do at all. He had never felt more helpless.

'If anything happens to her, Wyatt,' Rufus said, trying desperately not to cry, 'I don't think I can ever forgive you.'

And with that he walked away. Wyatt listened to his footsteps disappear down the corridor, stunned and hurt, and full of self-loathing. Rufus was right. Wyatt _had_ turned his messy love life into a soap opera, and he had made everyone's lives here in the bunker revolve around it. And now because of that he had broken Lucy and Rufus, the two people closest to him in this world, and put Jiya's life at risk.

As Wyatt left Rufus's room, his hand brushed against the grey, miserable wall…and in doing so he caught his wedding band against it. Wyatt closed his eyes for a moment before stopping and holding his hand out so he could look at the simple silver ring that had once meant so much to him. He could vividly remember how he had felt when he'd put it back on, after all those years of grief and guilt. But now it was tainted, forever. The Jessica he had been devoting everything to these past few weeks, the Jessica he had sacrificed his happiness with Lucy for, the Jessica he'd thought had loved him…she was different to the Jessica he had married. He knew it would be a struggle for him to accept that, for him to fully separate the two versions of his wife…but he also knew it to be true. His Jessica had died. _This_ Jessica, the one in this new, convoluted timeline…she had emotionally manipulated Wyatt in the worst way possible, and taken advantage of his devotion and his loyalty. He had lost himself in her and she had cost him everything. And that was something he knew he would never be able to forgive himself for.

Slowly, Wyatt reached for the ring. His eyes welling up, he grasped the wedding band and slid it off his finger. He let it drop to the corridor floor with a tiny clatter and walked away, without a backwards glance.

Wyatt found Lucy in one of the other rooms just down the corridor; she was lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, still in her dressing gown and still with a glazed, heartbroken look in her eyes. He swallowed before tentatively knocking on the open door.

'Lucy, about before,' he began gently, 'I'm so sorry-'

'Wyatt, I could really do with some space right now,' Lucy interrupted in a slightly shaking voice, not taking her eyes off the ceiling.

'I get that, but I honestly didn't mean to hit you-' Wyatt said earnestly, but Lucy cut over him again, this time with a hint of impatience in her voice.

'I _know_ that, Wyatt,' she said, sitting up on the bed to frown at him. 'I understand. But I still need you to leave me alone right now.'

Wyatt felt his anger from before beginning to creep back up on him again at her words. He was tired of this. He was tired of this feeling of fury and agony that seemed to have become a constant state for him recently. He was tired of the mixed signals he and Lucy kept giving each other. He was tired of Lucy always trying to distance herself from him. He was tired of the pressing fact that everything that had gone wrong between them was his fault. He was tired of hating himself.

'Lucy, God damn it, it's me,' Wyatt said in frustration, moving into the room, and Lucy eyed him in surprise. 'Why do you keep doing this, why do you keep pushing me away? After all we've been through together…'

His arms reaching out, he made to sit down beside her on the bed, clearly to take her in his arms and hold her comfortingly just like he had done that day Lucy had first arrived at the bunker…but Lucy was having none of it. At his touch, she immediately moved away and got up off the bed.

'Don't do that. Don't act like it should be like it was before,' Lucy said, shaking her head as she turned to face him. 'You chose Jessica. You made it very clear. But now she's part of some evil, tyrannical organisation, so…what, you crawl back to me? Your consolation prize?'

Wyatt's lips parted at her hard-hitting words, the words that broke them both to hear. He looked so pitiful sat there on the bed, gazing imploringly up at her. If Lucy wasn't so angry at him for Jiya, she might almost have felt sorry for him.

'You aren't…you could never be a consolation prize,' Wyatt murmured, dismayed, as he looked down at his feet.

'What else am I, Wyatt?' Lucy said challengingly, glaring at him. 'I am clearly your back-up. Y'know – your second choice, the runner-up. And I don't want to be that. I'm better than that. I deserve more, from someone who hasn't broken my heart more times than I thought possible. So please leave me alone.'

Wyatt closed his eyes, unable to hear anymore. 'Lucy, that's not what I'm here for. You're right, you _are_ better than that, and I'm the jerk who hurt you and put you through this bullshit, so I don't deserve you one bit,' he said, his voice breaking. 'I would never expect anything between us to happen, not after what I've done…'

'Oh really?' Lucy said sceptically. 'So why you've taken off your wedding ring?'

Wyatt faltered. 'I…'

Lucy felt her lips begin to tremble. She had noticed the absence of his ring the moment he had entered the room, because, for some reason, that ring was always the first place she had looked whenever they'd been alone together for the past few weeks. It had served as a reminder to her, of what he had done, and of her place now in his life. It had deterred her from doing what she'd most yearned to do. Lucy had once selfishly had a dream about Wyatt approaching her without his wedding ring, and it had brought her such joy, to know that he had chosen her after all. But now…to see it in real life…it made her feel nothing. She once might have been happy, perhaps. But circumstances had changed, Jiya was missing, and everything they had been fighting for had been put at stake because of Wyatt's carelessness and selfishness. And Lucy couldn't bear it.

Lucy raised her eyebrows at him. 'What, you think now because you've done that, that means this is all okay, you can hold me again and talk about what you and I have been through together like nothing went wrong? That's a quick turnaround, Wyatt, my God.'

'I didn't mean…I didn't take my ring off as some…grand gesture to you,' Wyatt said in a low voice. 'I did it because…because she's not the woman I was married to. She's not my…original wife. She's not my Jessica.'

 _My Jessica._ Even now, the words pierced the broken hole in her heart.

'How can you only just be realising that, Wyatt?' Lucy asked, gazing at him in disbelief. 'You had all these clues and suspicions, and, hell, the main fact that Rittenhouse brought her back in the first place, and yet…'

But then she trailed off as she saw the new visitor hovering in the doorway; Flynn had emerged, looking a little worse for wear, and wearing a concerned expression. He glanced awkwardly between Lucy and Wyatt, the latter of whom was glaring up at him from the bed with pure loathing in his eyes.

'I just wanted to check you were, uh, okay after our little scrap back there,' Flynn muttered, watching Lucy worriedly. 'Sorry about that, again.'

'She's fine,' Wyatt said firmly, and he got up off the bed. 'C'mon, Lucy wants to be alone for now-'

'Wyatt, I can speak for myself, thank you,' Lucy said shortly, and her voice became much softer when she turned back to her other visitor. 'Flynn, it's okay. Come in.'

Wyatt was outraged. 'Really? The psycho murdering terrorist who tried to kill us multiple times?' he said loudly, rounding accusatively at Lucy. 'You'll take his company over mine?'

'Right now, Wyatt, yes. Because I am so _done_ with this,' Lucy retorted, livid. 'I am tired of this bullshit and you being such a selfish jackass-!'

'A selfish jackass?! She's my _wife_ – w-well, I thought she was – can you imagine what this is like for me?' Wyatt demanded, looking on the verge of tears. 'I feel as shocked and betrayed as you do – hell, way more! It's Jessica, I _had_ to trust her, I had to try and make it work, I had no other choice-'

Lucy cut over him with hysterical laughter. 'Oh I know, you have made it _very_ clear there was no other choice! And you did it so easily as well!' she snapped, and Flynn backed away awkwardly from the two of them, not knowing what to do.

'I was going to leave her.'

The words came out before Wyatt even had time to consider them. He hadn't wanted to tell Lucy this way. He knew it was too late. He knew it would make no difference now. And yet still she had to know. Even if it meant Flynn was there to hear it too.

Lucy looked stunned; so stunned in fact that her temper seemed to have calmed down. 'What?' she asked breathlessly, her expression blank.

'I…I was being dishonest to Jessica, I…it wasn't real anymore. I was just doing what I thought was right, because…I care about her and she means so much to me and…she was brought back from the dead,' Wyatt explained, his eyes wet with tears. 'But Lucy, you mean more than I-'

'Stop talking,' Lucy said, almost pleadingly, not knowing what to think or what to feel, and suddenly regretting letting Flynn into her room to witness this. 'I…I can't hear this, not now, not after…wait, are you saying you just assumed I would automatically take you back?'

Wyatt smiled sadly. 'No. I never assumed anything,' he said quietly. 'I know I've-'

'Funny how you say all this now, when we know Jessica's part of a murdering cult,' Flynn interrupted drily from the doorway, 'and yet before when Jessica was all sweet and pure and innocent, you gave no hint of wanting to leave your happy marriage.'

Lucy closed her eyes, wishing these two men could act their age and not be so confrontational whenever they were around each other…but it was a hopeless cause, she knew that. She tilted her head at Flynn disapprovingly.

'Get out now, Flynn, or I swear to God I will beat you till you're unconscious,' Wyatt said warningly. 'I won't hold back this time.'

Lucy sighed. 'No, Wyatt. _You're_ the one I've been asking repeatedly to get out,' she said, an almost sad tone to her voice.

Wyatt stared at her for a moment, then nodded. 'Well that's what I'll do then,' he said, his head bent low.

'Thank you,' Lucy said quietly, unable to take her eyes off Wyatt as he walked past her and Flynn. 'And enough with the fighting, both of you. Please.'

Wyatt hesitated before leaving. 'I'm sorry, Lucy,' he murmured, still looking down at the floor.

'Me too,' Lucy said in a small voice, and with that he left and shut the door on Lucy and Flynn.

* * *

Over the next few hours, the bunker group reconvened to discuss how to move forward after the tragic kidnapping of Jiya – it transpired that Jiya had managed to escape from Rittenhouse but failed to land the Lifeboat in the bunker, for an unknown reason. Lucy watched Wyatt warily as Connor Mason and Agent Christopher tried to convince the team that Jiya was still probably alive somewhere in the past, and would be trying to communicate to them through history, in the form of newspapers, advertisements, large public events, books or games. After their brief, tense meeting, everyone then split up to try and narrow the search by looking through Jiya's belongings and any items in the bunker that Jiya might be able to leave a clue with.

Wyatt rummaged through the dining and living area but to no avail; he then headed over to Jiya and Rufus's room but found that Lucy was already there, flicking through endless piles of Jiya's books and magazines.

'Can I help?' he offered. 'Or is it best if I just stay out of your way?'

Lucy looked up at him. She didn't need to answer.

Wyatt nodded, smiling grimly. 'Got it.'

He turned to leave but then Lucy closed her eyes, the ache in her heart taking over, and called after him.

'Wait. Wyatt,' she said softly; he turned around in surprise, and she gazed at him. 'I _am_ sorry. About Jessica. I wish you'd told us about her brother, I wish…but I'm sorry. You don't deserve this. You were so happy she was back.'

Wyatt looked at her for a minute; her stunning face, her wavy hair, her eyes that looked like she was staring into his soul. He was relieved that her chin hadn't bruised where he had accidentally hit her. He couldn't have coped with the sight of that.

He sighed. 'Actually, I can't remember the last time I was genuinely happy,' he said heavily, giving her a sad smile.

Well, he could. It had been in the bunker quite a few weeks ago, playing a game of checkers with Lucy, talking about their amazing night together in Hollywood, giggling about living together…but he couldn't say that to her now.

Lucy's face fell as she watched him, and she couldn't help wondering if he was thinking back to those blissful couple of days before Jessica's return, when they had confessed their feelings, when they were more or less together…It seemed so long ago now. Almost like a dream.

'Sorry, I'll…I'll get out of your hair,' Wyatt murmured, but he paused before leaving. 'We've gotta find Jiya, Lucy. If we don't, I…'

'We will,' Lucy said quietly, and his evident pain was too much for her; she reached out and touched his arm. 'We'll get her back.'

Wyatt's lips parted. Those were the exact words Jiya had said to him a few months ago, back when Lucy had been her mother's captive and the team hadn't been sure whether Lucy was alive or dead. Jiya had walked in on Wyatt silently crying in his room, and put a comforting arm around him… _'There's still a chance she's alive out there somewhere, Wyatt…we'll find her soon…she knows how much she means to you…we'll get her back. I promise.'_ Those six weeks had been beyond torture for Wyatt. That whole time he had thought he'd lost Lucy for good. How could he have willingly risked losing her again for the sake of fixing his broken marriage, which he knew now to be fake anyway? How could he have tossed her aside like that? How could his actions have led to two dear members of his team being broken-hearted, and the other kidnapped by a tyrannical cult?

* * *

After a great deal of searching, Lucy ended up discovering a photograph of Jiya in San Francisco's Chinatown, dated 1888. Jiya's message in Klingon provided the Lifeboat's location and an exhortation not to come for her – nevertheless, the team were determined to get her anyway, so they found and repaired the old Lifeboat and Lucy, Wyatt, Rufus, and Flynn travelled to 1888. After searching for a few hours in Chinatown, the four of them eventually came across the photography studio where Jiya's picture had been taken, and found out to their horror that the picture of Jiya that Lucy had found in the book had been taken three years ago.

A distraction then arrived in the form of Carol, Emma, Nicholas and Jessica, who had been waiting, concealed, in the photography studio for them – Carol managed to prevent Emma from shooting Lucy, but at the cost of her own life. Wyatt and Flynn ran off after Emma and Jessica, who escaped the studio round the back, while Lucy was left to deal with Carol and Nicholas's dying bodies. With Carol's last few breaths, she told Lucy how she regretted taking Amy from her and how she hadn't raised Lucy to believe in Rittenhouse right from the start. Lucy felt her heart sink as the woman she had once been proud to call her mother died before her very eyes, and suddenly she felt an overwhelming need to feel Wyatt's strong, comforting arms around her. But he had run off to stop Jessica. Of course he had.

The daughter of the photographer, Fei, then told Lucy and Rufus that she knew Jiya, and she happened to be working at the Bison Horn saloon. Lucy decided to stay behind at the studio to wait for Wyatt and Flynn and grieve for her mother, while Rufus headed over to the saloon with Fei. It was somewhat a relief to finally be alone; the photographer led her into the back office and she simply sat on a chair there, staring blankly into space as she silently mourned and tried not to dwell on Wyatt's whereabouts or worry about what manipulative suggestions Jessica could be whispering to him right now if he had managed to catch up with her.

Lucy didn't know how long she had been sat there – it could have been minutes, it could have been hours – but then suddenly the door to the back office opened and Flynn quietly walked in. Lucy realised then that the lighting in the room had darkened, and the sky outside was almost black: it was night.

A surge of relief flooded through Lucy at the sight of Flynn, but then as Flynn closed the door behind him with his head bent low, the worry began to seep in again.

'Where's Wyatt?' she asked at once, her voice low and quiet.

Flynn tried not to appear too annoyed as he kept an eye on the door; why was Wyatt always the first thing on her mind? 'We split up,' he replied, and he rolled his eyes at the silence that followed, at the anxious look in her eyes. 'Relax, even I couldn't kill Wyatt if I wanted to, and I want to.'

His voice tremored with anger slightly, but Lucy couldn't be bothered to retort back now. She felt too exhausted. She just wanted Wyatt back so that she knew he was safe, and then they could go and fetch Jiya and get the hell out of this place. Flynn sighed heavily as he drew the curtain back over the door and slowly walked over to her.

'Your mom?' he asked.

'She's dead,' Lucy replied, her tone empty of all emotion as she resumed staring into space.

Flynn was silent for a moment, horrified for her. 'I'm sorry, Lucy,' he whispered.

'You know what her one great regret was?' Lucy murmured, her eyes welling up. 'That she didn't…indoctrinate me earlier into her evil cult. You were right – I should've seen her for who she was sooner. My whole life, I was blind.'

'Well, you want someone to blame, you should blame Wyatt,' Flynn said sourly, making Lucy's nostrils flare, and she was surprised by the apparent pain in his voice. 'He's the idiot who brought a Rittenhouse spy into the bunker-'

'And what would you have done?' Lucy interrupted, challenging him with a pitiful gaze as she immediately rose to defend the man she just couldn't get out of her head. 'If Rittenhouse had brought your wife and child back from the dead, would you look for the hidden catch or would you just be so grateful that they were back in your arms and in your life? You can blame Wyatt if you want-'

'I don't give a damn about Wyatt,' Flynn said softly, an unusually gentle expression on his face as he knelt down so that he was on her eye level and smiled at her. 'That's not why I'm here.'

Lucy gazed back at him, stunned. His face was close to hers, his eyes burning with intensity, his face gentle rather than that of the murdering monster she had once known, and there was something very different in the way he was looking at her right now. Something meaningful in what he had just said. And it shook Lucy.

'Why _are_ you here?' she asked him quietly, confused.

Flynn's lips parted slightly as he gazed back at her. For the first time in his life, he was lost for words. Lucy tilted her head at him slightly, her eyes searching desperately for whatever it was he was hiding, her heart rate increasing anxiously as she realised what his silence meant. Flynn eventually opened his mouth to speak…but then looked down regretfully as the office door clicked and swung open.

Flustered, Lucy looked up and was overwhelmingly relieved to see Wyatt stood there in the doorway…but then she saw the look on his face, and an awkward silence fell between the three of them. Wyatt frowned as he took in the sight before him; Flynn knelt down opposite Lucy, his eyes level with hers, his expression soft and tender, their faces close. He glanced between the two of them suspiciously, hurt. Both Flynn and Lucy look a little annoyed at the interruption; Flynn leaned away from Lucy and straightened his tie irritably as he got back up to his feet.

'Where's Rufus?' Wyatt asked in a quiet, broken voice, trying not to let the jealousy rage through him once more.

'We found Jiya,' Lucy replied, glad for a distraction, and she leapt to her feet. 'Come on.'

Her cheeks rather flushed, Lucy led the way determinedly out of the studio office door; Wyatt and Flynn exchanged a dark, suspicious glare before turning to follow her.

Flynn trailed a little behind Lucy and Wyatt as the three hurried over to the saloon where Jiya and Rufus were. Wyatt didn't know what to think. He was still reeling from his heated, heart-breaking conversation with Jessica the Traitor not long ago. And now this? Lucy and Flynn? He wasn't sure what he had walked in on…and even though he didn't know whether he wanted to know…he knew he must.

Wyatt cleared his throat awkwardly as he walked alongside Lucy. 'So, uh, back there…what was going on?'

'What do you mean?' Lucy asked sharply, keeping her eyes fixed firmly ahead.

'Well clearly I interrupted something,' Wyatt said, a little more bitterly than he intended.

Lucy rolled her eyes as they walked on. 'And _clearly_ you've forgotten that it's none of your business,' she said shortly, and she sighed. 'But you wanna know? Honestly?'

Frowning slightly, Lucy glanced over her shoulder at Flynn, trudging along behind them with his eyes on the ground. She turned back to look ahead in front of them, utterly bemused.

'I have no idea,' Lucy answered Wyatt honestly, sounding rather dazed.

Wyatt stopped walking for a moment as Lucy strode on, desperate to get to Jiya and Rufus. He was shocked. He had expected her to deny it, to tell him that he was being ridiculous…but maybe he had a reason to be worried after all. Something _had_ been going on between her and Flynn. If he'd entered the studio just a minute later…

But then suddenly, as he watched Lucy march ahead in her impressive dress, Wyatt realised that he had more important things to dwell on. They still needed to find Rufus and Jiya. And Lucy clearly had other more pressing matters on her mind.

'Wait…Lucy, your mom,' Wyatt said worriedly, catching up with her. 'What happened?'

'She bled out,' Lucy replied, her tone a little harsh.

Wyatt stared at her and then grabbed hold of her arm; they both stopped walking. 'She…your mom's dead?' he whispered, astonished.

Lucy couldn't look at him. 'Yeah.'

Flynn eyed them both warily and stopped walking too, staying further away. He didn't want to leave Lucy alone with Wyatt – God knows that was the last thing he wanted – but he knew they needed some privacy. He could see in the way the two of them were looking at each other, so desperate they were to find comfort and solace in each other's arms…but seemingly unable to.

'Lucy, oh God, I…' Wyatt tilted his head at her sympathetically. 'I'm so sorry, I don't know what to say-'

'There's nothing _to_ say,' Lucy cut over him bluntly. 'She wasn't the woman I thought she was. That doesn't mean I'm glad she's dead. But…I don't know how to grieve properly, like a normal daughter should, after everything she's done.'

She hated herself for appearing so vulnerable in front of him like this, for opening up when she had been determinedly staying angry at him. But his hand was on her arm, and he was gazing at her in that way that told her he was there for her, always. Lucy realised then that he'd never really stopped being there for her, despite everything that had transpired between them since Jessica's return. She had just been pushing him away.

Wyatt smiled sadly at Lucy as he rubbed her arm. 'We'll help you figure it out,' he promised.

And, for the first time since before Jiya's kidnapping, Lucy smiled.


	38. Wyatt's Confession

**So...last chapter :'( this one concludes 2x10.**

 **Obviously I still hope for a wrap-up movie or just SOMETHING to wrap up Timeless's incredible story...Timeless is my favourite TV show out there by far and I'm absolutely gutted that it's been cancelled again. Hopefully (if the campaign at next week's Comic Con goes well!) some other network/streaming service will see sense and save it, or NBC will give us the movie...so for now, this is the end for my story, but rest assured if we do get anymore Timeless goodness I will happily continue with it!**

 **Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's read this story - I didn't expect all your generous reviews and messages, and to those who have stuck with it, I really appreciate it, because I've somehow gone over 200,000 words and I've enjoyed every second of writing it, so thank you so much! :)**

 **EDIT (Jan 2019):**

 **I have since amended the chapter title and end paragraph of this chapter, as at the time I wrote it, the show had been cancelled and I hadn't known there would be a series finale/wrap-up movie. I will be writing and uploading the next few chapters of the Timeless Series Finale over the next couple of weeks! :)**

* * *

It was an overwhelming relief to find Rufus and Jiya once they arrived at the Bison Horn saloon. However, once they had all got the initial greetings and hugs out of the way, Rufus and Jiya then continued their bickering on how to proceed. Lucy and Wyatt watched them both, stunned, as the couple argued on who was leaving and who was staying behind, and they found it somewhat strange to witness – it was usually Lucy and Wyatt themselves arguing with each other nowadays, not Rufus and Jiya.

'Jiya said she's not leaving because I die here,' Rufus was saying drily.

'Isn't that exactly why we _should_ leave?' Lucy asked urgently, frowning.

'No, that's how it happens. I start to leave, and then Rufus dies,' Jiya explained.

'If she stays, she dies!' Rufus protested.

'Look, I'm not gonna be responsible for your death, okay?' Jiya snapped at Rufus. 'I love you.'

'I love _you_! And if I die, I die,' Rufus said exasperatedly; Wyatt rolled his eyes while Lucy watched them blankly, her heart breaking for the pair. 'Look, you're the one who said some things are meant to be. At least it'll be for a good reason. If it's for you, then it'll be worth it-'

'No-!' Jiya cut over him desperately.

'Stop it,' Lucy said, but neither of them heard her.

'-I can't _live_ with that, Rufus!'

'Stop it! Both of you, stop!' Lucy shouted firmly, and a silence fell as everyone looked at her in alarm. 'Nobody's dying, and we're getting out of here.'

'You don't understand-' Jiya began in despair, but Lucy interrupted her.

'I _do_ understand. None of us have anything anymore except each other. That's how we've survived this long. No matter how bad it gets, we're together. We take out Rittenhouse together. We are going home together. Are we clear?' Lucy said sharply.

A stunned silence followed her little speech. Wyatt then looked up at Rufus and Jiya, a new sense of determination and hope flooding through him at Lucy's inspirational words.

'She's right,' he said firmly; Lucy glanced at him gratefully, and they smiled softly at each other.

They didn't have much longer to convince Jiya that this was the right plan, however, for the sound of gunshots and screams and Emma's jeering call in the saloon then alerted them to their new visitors. While the team hid behind the wall, Wyatt reluctantly told Flynn that together, they would cover the others in order to protect them from Emma and her Rittenhouse henchmen.

'Lucy?' Wyatt said, his voice breaking as he locked his gaze with hers. 'You go straight for the Lifeboat. Get them home safe, and then come back for me and Flynn. All right?'

Lucy did nothing but gaze back at him for a moment, trying to read whatever it was he was yearning to scream out to her, and then nodded. She bent her head low as they got prepared to make a run for it; she didn't know how she could leave Wyatt here, like this, surrounded by so much danger. What if something went wrong? What if they weren't able to jump back in the Lifeboat to get Wyatt and Flynn? What if Wyatt got hurt? What if he died before Lucy was able to tell him that she forgave him?

But there no was time – before she knew it, Lucy was flinging herself across the saloon along with the others while shots were fired, leaving Wyatt and Flynn to the terror of Rittenhouse. By some miracle, Jiya's vision was proven wrong as she managed to save Rufus from one of the henchmen creeping up behind him, and so they all left the saloon triumphantly, flooded with relief that Rufus was unharmed as Wyatt and Flynn followed them all outside onto the street as they escaped the remaining henchmen.

If only their joy could have lasted a little longer.

When the gunshots rang through the street, Lucy was so shocked and so distracted by the screaming, running crowds and chaos that it took her a moment to realise that the aim had been successful. Her ears ringing, Lucy looked around in horror to see Emma running away down the street, her pistol aloft and still smoking…and then she looked down, as if in slow motion, to see that Rufus had collapsed to the ground, a dark red pool forming and slowly expanding on his waistcoat.

'Rufus?!' Jiya shrieked, crouching down to him. 'Rufus!'

'No!' Wyatt yelled, diving down to join them on the veranda floor and immediately pressing his hand against Rufus's bullet wound.

'Rufus,' Jiya said desperately, tears leaking from her eyes. 'You're okay.'

But this was a lie. Rufus had never been less okay. Blood was rapidly spurting out of his chest. Lucy was paralysed as she watched him struggling, his eyes popping wide open in surprise as the blood drenched him.

'No, no, no, no, no,' Jiya was murmuring urgently, trying to steady him.

'You're gonna be fine,' Wyatt insisted, while Jiya began to cry.

Lucy and Wyatt looked at each other. They had been in this spot together once before, back in Chicago when Al Capone had shot Rufus. But that had been different. Back then, the bullet hadn't hit Rufus squarely in the chest. But this bullet had.

'No, no, no, no, no-'

'Rufus, stay with me,' Wyatt went on.

But Lucy could see that Rufus was past hope. He was dying. Rapidly. Before their very eyes. Suddenly a fury like no other raged through her, and in that moment Lucy hit her breaking point. This was one person too many that she'd lost. This was the point of no return. And suddenly Lucy understood how Flynn had been willing to do whatever it took to defeat Rittenhouse, no matter what the cost. She was completely broken, and full of nothing but anger and hatred. And so, as Jiya continued to sob and Wyatt tried to reassure his deteriorating best friend, Lucy grabbed hold of Wyatt's gun that he'd dropped on the floor, and ran off after Emma.

'Stay with me, stay with me…' Wyatt was murmuring to Rufus, desperate, but then suddenly he noticed that Lucy had fled with his gun, and his face fell in horror. 'LUCY!'

It took him every bit of effort not to go after Lucy as he helplessly watched her run off down the street, but he knew he couldn't leave Rufus. Not now.

'Wyatt!' Jiya shrieked, begging him to stay with her as Rufus struggled in pain on the floor beside them.

Wyatt was breathing heavily. He knew what Lucy was doing. He had seen the way her enraged eyes had followed Emma's departing figure. And he couldn't let the woman he loved go after some evil, murdering psychopath on her own, unprotected. But he couldn't abandon Rufus when he was bleeding out like this, not after he had already let him down so much. Rufus was his best friend. And so Wyatt turned to the only other person he could.

'Can you move with that thing?' Wyatt asked Flynn urgently.

Flynn was clutching his bleeding arm, which had been shot badly in the gunfire. As he looked up to grimace at Wyatt, there was a look of determination in his eyes that Wyatt knew to mean that he no longer needed to worry about Lucy's welfare anymore. Flynn had it covered.

'I sure as hell can try,' Flynn replied, wincing through the pain, and he struggled up to his feet and hurried off after Lucy.

It wasn't long after Flynn had gone when Rufus drew his last breath. Despite trying to reassure Jiya, Wyatt had known from the second he'd seen Rufus's bullet wound that it was no use…and so instead he tried to hold Rufus securely and tell him to relax, that everything was going to be fine…He watched as Rufus tried desperately to mouth the words 'I love you' to Jiya, who couldn't see through the tears that blinded her. He watched as Rufus stopped moving, as the gurgling noise from his mouth stopped, as his eyes slowly slid shut. Shocked and in denial, Wyatt tried to shake Rufus awake, but then fell silent as he realised that there was no Rufus anymore to wake up. He was just another dead body left behind by Rittenhouse. His shattered heart sinking to the pit of his stomach, Wyatt watched as Jiya let out a blood-curdling shriek of agony and cradled Rufus's face to hers, whispering his name over and over as she sobbed. All Wyatt could do was sit there, stunned, his ears ringing, his eyes blurry, his awareness of everything around him suddenly vanished.

Rufus was dead. And he hadn't even got a chance to tell Jiya for the last time that he loved her. They wouldn't have even been here in Chinatown if it hadn't been for Wyatt's reckless trustworthiness of his treacherous wife. Rufus would still be alive if it wasn't for him.

The crowds began to disperse and the streets became quiet and calm. Wyatt stayed with Jiya and Rufus's body – for how long, he didn't know. He was terrified of what had happened to Lucy because he couldn't lose her too, not after all this, but he had faith deep down that she would be all right with Flynn. Even with a damaged arm, Flynn would do whatever it took to protect her. Wyatt could see that now. That look in Flynn's eyes when he had walked in on them earlier in the back office at the photography studio…he had looked at Lucy that way himself, multiple times. He had known in that moment that Lucy had touched Flynn's heart. Deeply.

Jiya was still howling, clutching Rufus's limp, dead body desperately to her, refusing to believe that there was no life in him anymore…that he really was gone. Wyatt knelt beside her, his arm around her consolingly, numb. And then he heard approaching footsteps; Wyatt looked up.

He recognised their figures instantly, even though they were in the shadows and limping unevenly as they crossed the dark empty street. Wyatt let out a great shuddering breath as he watched Lucy and Flynn slowly emerge, arms around each other, half-carrying the other as they supported each other's injuries. Flynn could barely stand straight. In the faint lighting from the street lamp, Lucy looked like she had been beaten bloody. Her hat was gone, her hair looked like it had been dragged through a brush, her dress was torn, the bustle completely wrecked. But she was alive. And Wyatt had never been more relieved to see her.

Wyatt stood up as they approached. 'Lucy,' he said in a weak, broken voice. 'Oh, thank, God.'

'Wyatt! Rufus, is he-?' Lucy asked, crying.

Wyatt looked down at Rufus's body. He turned back to her and shook his head, and for the first time since Rufus had breathed his last, the tears spilled out from Wyatt's eyes. Lucy looked down at Jiya, saw the distraught look on Wyatt's face, and then broke out into noisy, hysterical sobs. Flynn released her as Lucy rushed unsteadily over to them, and she and Wyatt collapsed into each other's arms.

'N-no, he can't be dead, he can't be!' Lucy wailed, as they both fell to the floor.

'I know, I'm sorry, there was nothing we could do…I'm so sorry,' Wyatt whimpered, clinging her closer to him.

The two of them continued to cry onto each other's shoulders, their arms wrapped tightly around each other as their tears soaked each other's clothes. It would have been a blissful relief to find solace and comfort in each other's arms if they hadn't been so terribly distressed.

'Not Rufus…no…no…' Lucy sobbed, shaking her head and scrunching up her eyes to block the view of Rufus's limp, dead body lying next to them.

'Are _you_ okay? What happened?' Wyatt spluttered through his tears, leaning away to cup her face and stroke the bloody gashes on her cheeks.

'She got away,' Lucy replied miserably, her nostrils flaring with anger as he brushed away her tears with his thumbs. 'Emma got away.'

Wyatt's lips were trembling. 'I thought she'd killed you,' he said in a small voice.

'Flynn saved me. But…she got away. She killed Rufus and she got away,' Lucy said in a tremoring voice.

'It's okay. It's not your fault, it's okay…' Wyatt reassured her tearfully, and he cradled her head to his chest as they held each other desperately.

* * *

The next hour or so passed in a bit of a blur. By the time they had reached the Lifeboat, Lucy, Wyatt and Jiya had no more tears left to cry. Even Flynn was equally as numb and shaken by the events of tonight, and Lucy could have sworn she'd seen him wiping his eyes hastily as they'd left the street. Too emotionally drained to speak, they all silently collapsed into their seats, Jiya unwillingly taking Rufus's place in the pilots' chair, and for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Lucy let Wyatt buckle her into her seat. He made to move away the moment he'd finished doing the clasp of her belts, but Lucy gripped his hand and kept it there on her lap as she tried fiercely not to start crying again. Wyatt squeezed her fingers tightly, and it was only when they landed roughly back in the 2018 bunker that they let go to brace themselves for what they would have to tell Agent Christopher and Connor Mason the moment they walked down those steps.

The pain that hit them all over again as they watched the realisation dawn on Christopher and Mason's faces when the smaller team emerged, beaten and broken, into the bunker, was unbearable. Flynn was left to explain exactly what had happened; the others quickly dispersed to cry and grieve in the privacy of their own rooms. Later on, Agent Christopher went round with a first aid box to help everyone treat their wounds…and to help them mourn. Once Christopher had finished stitching up Lucy, Wyatt took advantage of her absence to tap on the door and check on Lucy.

'How are you doing?' Wyatt asked gently.

Lucy didn't answer. She didn't care about how she was doing, internally or physically. She was still having a hard time processing the very hard truth that they had been forced to leave a dead Rufus and her dead, treacherous mother behind in the past.

'I don't want to bother you,' Wyatt said, backing away, 'I just wanted to check you were all right, but it's okay, I'll go…'

'No. Stay with me. Please,' Lucy said quietly, gazing up at him.

Wyatt hesitated for a moment, stunned, then walked back into the room. 'Yeah. Always.'

He walked over to sit beside her on the bed. Lucy could feel his eyes on her, and couldn't help wondering why it was that Rufus's death meant that something had changed between them. Because it had, there was no denying. They had lost someone they loved, and she could feel that things were different now for them both.

'I'm sorry for all the horrible things I said to you…after Jessica took the Lifeboat. I was…a little brutal,' Lucy mumbled, fidgeting with her fingers. 'It wasn't right of me to blame you for…not seeing her for who she really was. You worshipped her, you always did, from the day I met you, and she came back from the dead. Like I said before, it seemed like a miracle. Why would you assume the worst? It was unfair of me to be angry at you.'

'No,' Wyatt disagreed, shaking his head. 'You had every right to say what you said, and more.'

He was completely broken. Lucy could see clearly now that his whole world, everything he'd held dear, had shattered.

'Well, whatever I said…I'm so sorry about Jessica, Wyatt. I really mean that,' Lucy said earnestly, her eyes welling up with tears as she watched his face crumple.

'I know you do. Me too. I just…can't understand it. And Rufus. It's…the world's not fair. I've lost everything,' Wyatt whispered in a strangled voice.

Lucy wanted so desperately to say, 'you haven't lost me', just as he had said to her in this very room on this very bed. But she couldn't say that…because in a way, he _had_ lost her. At least it had felt that way. Now, Lucy wasn't so sure. She wasn't sure about anything anymore. She felt so numb and empty. So she responded in the only way she could; she placed her hand over his.

'Did you mean what you said before? That you were going to leave Jessica?' Lucy asked quietly, looking at their hands.

'Yeah. Not that it matters now,' Wyatt replied, his head bent low. 'It kind of hit me before South Carolina that I'd…made the wrong choice, that I'd behaved…terribly, with the whole situation. I should have realised it before, I…I'm sorry.'

'It's not important right now. None of it is,' Lucy murmured. 'We just lost Rufus.'

Wyatt shook his head in despair as he continued to look down at his lap, and he suddenly looked a lot smaller than Lucy. 'I can't get my head around it.'

A tear dripped down from Lucy's eye onto their hands and then, as Wyatt began to cry, Lucy turned to face him, drew his head towards her and kissed him lightly on the forehead. Dazed, tears still leaking out of his eyes, Wyatt leaned away to gaze at her, and he sat up so that they were on eye level with each other. Lucy gazed tearfully back at him for a moment before removing her hands from his face and getting off the bed.

'I need to go…' she murmured, upset, and she left without another word, her hands shaking.

Lucy's heart was still racing as she hurried away down the bunker corridor, even as she continued to sob for Rufus. She didn't know what was going on in her mind – all that she knew was that she was too distressed to think straight about anything. Although…there was one thing that was certain to her. Wyatt had made a mistake in his behaviour and his choices over the past month or so, even he himself admitted that now. But that didn't mean he was irredeemable. And after what had happened today, after losing Rufus…Lucy had to believe that she would be open to the possibility of forgiving Wyatt for what he had put her through. Some day, at least. They loved each other too much and life was too short for them to remain at odds with one another.

But for now, she needed to mourn Rufus and her mother, and she needed to do it without any distractions or complicated feelings getting in the way. Flynn was already waiting for her when she knocked on his bedroom door, his arm in a sling; he let her in at once and she collapsed onto his bed in floods of tears, where she stayed for the rest of the night.

* * *

' _They didn't threaten me, Wyatt. They raised me…' … 'My brother was sick. He was dying. There was no hope, and-and then Carol and Emma came to my parents with an offer with a miracle! They saved him…'… 'They brought him life, Wyatt. And they gave me purpose. They taught me everything. They're not bad people. They're my family.'_

' _No! The Jessica I knew had a family. Rittenhouse went back in time and they stole her from them. Because of me.'_

' _The Jessica you knew was a bartender, that's it… I'm part of something important, Wyatt. We're going to save the world…' … 'I really do love you. I wish it didn't have to be like this. I'm sorry. I have to protect Rittenhouse and my baby…'_

Wyatt jolted upright in his bed as he woke up, shuddering from how vivid his dream – no, his _nightmare_ – had been. He sighed in relief as he looked in the bed to see that Jessica was not lying beside him. She was gone. He was alone.

'It's not Jessica. It's not my wife. Jessica's dead,' Wyatt whispered firmly to himself, closing his eyes.

The only way he had been able to get to sleep last night was to distract himself from thinking about Rufus by saying those same words over and over again, trying to drill them into his head. He knew it had worked when he caught sight of his empty ring-less wedding finger and to feel, not sadness and remorse and heartbreak, but relief and a sense of acceptance. A finality, almost. He was letting her go. He knew it would take him a while, and he knew he had these unresolved issues that he needed sorting to get closure, particularly with a potential baby on the way to only further complicate matters, but he was accepting of the fact now that Jessica – this new, warped Jessica – was Rittenhouse, and was not the woman he knew and loved.

But there were people left in his life that he did still know and love. Lucy. Jiya. Christopher. Mason. Maybe even Flynn now, if he could get over his grudge and over-possessive jealousy. He had to make things right with them. He had been trying to make things right with Jessica before – that was the whole reason why he had gone back to her in the first place, particularly after Lucy had told him to do so. Maybe even a part of him was angry at Lucy for doing that, for not fighting for him and for instead telling him to do 'the right thing'. But it hadn't been the right thing to do. Everything had been wrong. And now he had to try and fix the broken mess he had left behind with the fractured people whose faith in him was somewhat tarnished. He _had_ to try.

Wyatt found Lucy early that morning, sat down on the floor in the empty corridor, leant against the wall and staring emptily into space as she rested an ice pack against one of her wounds on her cheek. He paused as he looked down at her. He was still recovering from the way she had cupped his face and kissed his forehead yesterday, but knew now was not the time to discuss that. Maybe there would never be an appropriate time to discuss that, or anything regarding their complex relationship. Seeing her now, so battered with her stitched-up wounds, bloody gashes, band-aids, and purple bruises all over, was only a reminder to him of how his actions had broken the very woman who had loved him and given him a reason to live and care again. His obsession with Jessica had caused Wyatt to lose Lucy, his best friend Rufus, the trust and friendship of his team…and the person he himself had become through the incredible people these adventures with the Lifeboat had brought him closer to. They were his family, and his blindness to the truth about his so-called wife had cost him everything.

Lucy looked up at him and met his tormented gaze. His hair was a mess; part of her wanted to reach up and brush it to the side. She put down the ice pack and looked down at her lap. She wished they could just go back to that moment in this spot in the corridor all those weeks ago, just the two of them, rejoicing in their newfound romance, reminiscing on the wonders of their glorious night together in Hollywood. She wished she could just relive that moment over and over again. Before Jiya's vision about Rufus's death. Before Jessica's return. Before it all went wrong.

Feeling a little sick as the horrible guilt settled once more in his stomach, Wyatt sank heavily onto the dirty floor to sit beside Lucy, though he was unable to look at her. He was too hurt, too broken, to look into her beautiful eyes and risk seeing her heartbreak there, her grief, her misery, when all of it was down to him.

'This is my fault,' Wyatt said, his voice breaking. 'All of it.'

He was fully prepared to hear Lucy agree, to hear the hard truth about how he had let her down, how his actions had led to Rufus's death, how he had ruined everything for everyone they loved. But he should have known better. Because that wasn't who Lucy was. Besides, she was too full of grief and sorrow to be angry.

'No, it's not, Wyatt-' Lucy said in a low voice, shaking her head, but Wyatt interrupted her.

'I promised Rufus that I wouldn't let anything happen to him,' he said firmly, full of anguish. 'I was supposed to protect him. And then I messed everything up.'

Lucy said nothing. She couldn't think of what to say. All she could do was stare blankly with tear-filled eyes at the wall opposite, feeling completely lost.

Wyatt sighed heavily. 'Just like I did with us,' he went on, a slightly bitter tone to his voice.

Deep down, he'd known. All this time, Wyatt had known that his heart belonged to Lucy rather than Jessica – it had done since the day he'd kissed her in front of Bonnie and Clyde – and yet he had done nothing about it. He hadn't fought. He hadn't stopped to think. He'd let his loyalty and sense of duty cloud his judgement. And now he was paying the price for it.

Lucy hesitated for a moment, considering his words. Part of her wanted to let him off the hook – after all, he'd made it clear he had enough on his mind to feel bad about. But he deserved honesty, as brutal as it was.

'It's true. You did mess things up with us,' Lucy murmured drily, and for the first time since he'd sat beside her, she turned to face him.

Wyatt inclined his head in her direction, and in his peripheral vision saw the unimpressed look in her eyes, and he snorted. Lucy attempted a sad smile in return, and was astonished to see that he seemed to be fighting back tears.

'But Rufus is not on you,' Lucy said firmly, gazing at him, wishing he would look back at her. 'We all stood together. He knew the risks. And he accepted them willingly.'

Wyatt couldn't think of what to say. He was stunned that she was trying to comfort him, after she'd had a night to go over everything that had happened. After everything he had done.

'You brought Jiya home, safe. That's what mattered most to Rufus,' Lucy said earnestly.

Wyatt shook his head dazedly, so badly wanted to believe her. He felt so vulnerable. And so foolish. He could see now the full extent of damage he had caused, to everyone here in this bunker, and it was because of Jessica that he had forgotten his real family, the people who were still standing by him and trying to save him from self-destruction this very moment, even after everything. Lucy had given him something to fight for, a reason to keep living. And despite him breaking her heart, despite him choosing another woman over her, despite his idiotic behaviour leading to such tragedy…Lucy was still that reason. She still cared. She was still imploring him to see the good in what had happened, to keep fighting. And that was when he knew he could keep it in no longer.

'I love you, Lucy.'

The words came out willingly and sincerely… but Wyatt didn't even look at her as he said it. He couldn't. He wasn't strong enough to do that; he wasn't worthy.

Lucy's lips parted as she gazed at him in surprise. She was completely taken aback, her numb heart suddenly racing as she listened to his voice break on her name, and watched the way his eyes filled with tears as they stared straight ahead.

Wyatt knew it was too late for it to matter. But still, he needed to say it, because he had buried those words for far too long, when he should have allowed himself to express them a considerable time ago. He had hurt her so much and become such a disaster in everyone else's eyes, and yet Lucy was still there by his side, patiently comforting him. She was far too good for him. He knew that. And he had imagined, before Jessica had returned, saying those words to her in such different, happier circumstances…but the death of a loved one often brought clarity with it and put everything into perspective, and there was only one thing left in this miserable, heart-wrenching life of his that remained Wyatt's constant, his touchtone: Lucy Preston. There was no doubt of that now. He loved her with all his heart, with everything in him, and she had to know. Even if it was bad timing or not the right moment. With the kind of lives they led, tomorrow certainly wasn't promised, and she had to know how he felt.

Wyatt gave a little shrug of his shoulders. 'You don't have to say it back,' he said softly, as Lucy released the breath she had been holding in, unable to take her dazed eyes off him. 'You don't have to say anything. I just should've said it a long time ago and I didn't, so I'm saying it now.'

Her silence didn't perturb Wyatt, nor did it fill him with regret for confessing his love like that. He knew she was hurt and confused, and no doubt still feeling very betrayed by him. And he didn't blame her. But he'd needed to say it; he'd needed to stop lying to himself, and to stop keeping secrets from her about how he was feeling.

Lucy still hadn't closed her mouth since hearing those four words, and her eyes were wide and fixed upon Wyatt's bruised face. She would have been so happy to hear him say that to her, back in Hollywood. But now? Now their lives had taken a confusing, fractured turn and Lucy hated the idea that Wyatt might have only said it out of guilt or vulnerability in their time of grief. But she'd heard the way he'd choked out the words, she'd seen the way tears had swelled in his eyes, she'd noticed the way he'd determinedly avoided looking at her out of sheer shame…and she _knew_ him. And she knew he was being sincere. All those longing looks, those secluded moments, those brief touches, those angst-filled gazes…they hadn't been for show, they had been real. Appearances aside, his love for her had been real all this time. Lucy could see that now. And it shocked her, to hear him express it aloud, to confess what she had long hoped to be true.

Lucy wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words…so it was somewhat of a relief to know that Wyatt didn't expect anything in return, not quite yet. In truth, she didn't know what she was feeling. She was still too in shock, too overwhelmed over Rufus's death, for her to fully comprehend what Wyatt was telling her. But that was okay. Wyatt didn't need a response from Lucy, he didn't even want one, because he knew he was not deserving of a response after everything he had put her through, all the pain and heartbreak he had caused her.

'Rufus wanted me to admit it,' Wyatt went on, laughing softly at the memory.

For the first time since sitting down, he glanced over at her, meeting her gaze. The look of utter disbelief and shock in her eyes pained him. Had she really not known? Had she really thought all this time that because he'd gone back to Jessica, he didn't love her? The thought only made him loathe himself even more for what he had done, for his actions forcing Lucy to convince herself that he hadn't loved her after all. But now she knew. He had to find some kind of solace in that. She knew the truth now, and there was no Jessica to hide behind or complicate matters. There was just Wyatt and Lucy – no more secrets, just total honesty…and the open road.

'I know that wherever he is,' Wyatt murmured, looking down at his lap, 'if he's watching, he's saying…"Yeah, it's about damn time."…'

Wyatt found himself smiling, quite genuinely, at the fond thought of Rufus clapping him on the back for finally being a man and letting it all out. He felt relieved, like a weight had been taken off his shoulders; he had desperately needed to express the truth aloud at last, not to try and win Lucy back – he knew that whatever possibility of that happening was a long way down the road – but for his own peace of mind. His denial of Jessica's potential treachery had caused so much pain and damage to the people he loved; Rufus himself had even told Wyatt this yesterday. Oh, Rufus. How could he be alive one minute and then suddenly gone the next? How could it be so that Wyatt would never be able to talk to Rufus again? Wyatt knew that, no matter Lucy tried to say to reassure him, he would never be able to make amends for what he had done. And he couldn't bear it.

Lucy's bottom lip began to tremble. 'I can't believe he's gone,' she whispered, once more on the verge of tears.

Wyatt looked back to meet her pitiful gaze. He yearned so desperately to take Lucy into his arms, to hold her and comfort her. But it was no use. First, before he could even consider any of that, they had to reconstruct the friendship, that special connection, that had been somewhat fractured between them. If he was to ever manage to win back Lucy's affection, he had a great deal of grovelling and atoning to do, after his actions of the past few weeks. He needed to work long and hard to fight for her and earn her love back, just as he needed her to actively choose him. It was the only way.

But for now, Wyatt wasn't even thinking about any of that, because they still hadn't fully appreciated the depth of their loss. Someone they loved had died, and he and Lucy needed each other more than ever, but as friends. They weren't giving up on each other, but they could work out how to start over and where they would take their confusing, broken relationship later on. For now, they just needed to be with each other, to comfort each other…and to treat it as a new beginning. Because yes, they had been torn apart from each other, and broken from the tragic events of today…but they would be together from now on, hopefully. And that had to mean something.

The two of them were so lost in their grief that they didn't notice that Flynn had entered the main room of the bunker and seen them sat together side-by-side on the corridor floor. Flynn's face fell slightly as the pain and loneliness washed over him once again, and, saying nothing, he turned to back away…

And then there was a great whooshing noise and a sudden clanging, metallic sound as something huge materialized in the main room of the bunker near to them, pushing the Lifeboat out of the way slightly. Lucy's head jerked up as she looked round to see what had caused the loud disturbance, and her jaw dropped; it was another Lifeboat. There was no mistaking its circular vessel-like structure, or the familiar rumbling and whirring noise as its engines slowed to a halt.

Shocked, Lucy turned to face Wyatt, who was struggling unsteadily up to his feet as he stared in disbelief at the new time machine stood beside their own Lifeboat.

'What the hell?' he muttered, frowning.

Lucy followed Wyatt urgently as he ran over to join Flynn in the main room, who was also staring open-mouthed at the two Lifeboats. Agent Christopher, Mason and Jiya came rushing down the corridor as well, all equally as confused.

'Oh my God, what _is_ that?' Agent Christopher demanded.

'Is this another Lifeboat?' Flynn asked, unusually quiet, looking astonished.

'But it looks upgraded,' Jiya said, completely perplexed, as they all gathered round the two ships.

'What's going on, Connor?' Agent Christopher murmured.

'No idea,' Mason replied, as Wyatt pushed his way through.

The capsule door to the new Lifeboat then slowly began to slide open; Wyatt got out his gun and Lucy joined him at his side, her hand briefly touching his arm as they rushed to the front to see what was happening and get ready for whatever was emerging from the new, unwelcome time machine.

But nothing could have prepared them for what happened next.

Lucy's mouth popped open as none other than Wyatt himself stepped confidently out of the new Lifeboat, wearing grubby tight-fitting clothes with gear and weapons attached, slicked-back hair…and a prominent beard and moustache. And then the next person to step out beside him nearly made Lucy faint, for she realised then that she was staring at a future version of herself, looking equally as dirty and wearing some sort of Lara Croft get-up, complete with weapons attached to her belt and on her back, and with a sleek, sharp bob haircut. The two of them looked battle-hardened, and perhaps a couple of years older…but there was a certain swagger and fierceness in their stance that gave off the impression there was nothing left they were afraid of.

Lucy and Wyatt gaped up at their future selves in shock, unable to believe what they were seeing. But in some way, they both desperately wanted to believe that what they were seeing was indeed real, because whatever the hell was going on, one thing was for sure – these two newcomers, whoever they were, were a team. And suddenly, Lucy felt a surge of hope.

There was a flicker of amusement in their future guests' eyes as they looked down at the shocked, speechless group of people staring in bewilderment up at them.

'Well? What're you waiting on?' Future Wyatt asked, a hint of a smile on his bearded face.

There was a short silence. Everyone was still too in shock to say anything.

'You guys wanna get Rufus back or what?' Future Lucy said to them all in a determined voice.


	39. The Journal

**I never thought I'd be back here again, but here we are, after an incredible Timeless Series Finale last month! Obviously, I would have loved there to be at least five more seasons, but this wrap-up movie was so much better than cancelling the show on that amazing cliffhanger, and I'm so glad we were able to see our beloved characters' stories tied up and concluded in a mostly satisfying way.**

 **First, I'd like to say so sorry for the delay in me writing this - due to a combination of a family emergency over the Christmas holidays, various work commitments, and consequent writer's block, I was unable to begin writing until this weekend. Unfortunately it's just this chapter for now and I'm away on a work trip for the next few days, but I will hopefully have the next chapter written and uploaded by next week!**

 **Thanks again for everyone whose stuck with this story and for your patience in waiting for me to write the chapters covering the finale. I can't wait to write the rest and will upload them as soon as I'm able!**

 **So, here's the first one, covering the first part of Episode 2x11. Enjoy, and please let me know what you think :)**

* * *

Lucy stared wide-eyed up at her future self, and began to speak; 'That's-'

'-Us,' Wyatt finished for her in a bemused whisper, his mouth still open, the hand holding his gun limp.

A small noise of disbelief escaped Lucy as she watched her future self exchange a look with Future Wyatt, before they both hopped down the steps from the shiny new Lifeboat.

'It's not possible,' Mason said in a dazed voice.

'Well,' Future Wyatt said drily, jumping to the floor, 'actually, it is.'

'Where are you from?' Wyatt asked his future self warily.

' _When_ are you from?' Lucy said quietly, unable to stop gawping at the sight before them.

'2023,' Future Lucy replied, and Lucy exchanged a perplexed look of horror with Wyatt.

Seeing her own future self talk and pull expressions was too much for Lucy. She could barely even cope with taking in just how _badass_ she and Future Wyatt looked. Though she wasn't sure about his beard. She would have to do something about that.

'How are you even here?' Mason demanded, overwhelmed with curiosity and disbelief. 'In your own timelines – the side effects-!'

'We're not immune to the effects,' Future Lucy retorted without looking at him, completely unperturbed by the sight of her younger self reaching out as if to test whether she was really, physically stood there.

'We don't have much time,' Future Wyatt murmured worriedly to his companion.

'I know,' Future Lucy muttered, biting her lip.

A flicker of something – was it hope? – crossed Lucy's face as she watched the future pair interact. The two grubby travellers had clearly been to hell and back, they had lost everything, and yet they were still clinging to each other. These two people that Lucy barely recognised were practically joined at the hip…although somewhat distantly. Lucy couldn't put her finger on it, but, despite how attuned to each other they clearly were, there seemed to be something frosty between them.

'Why would you endanger yourselves like this?' Mason asked their new guests, alarmed.

'We didn't have much of a choice,' Future Wyatt said grimly.

'We can't stop Rittenhouse without Rufus,' Future Lucy explained.

'Rittenhouse still exists?!' Agent Christopher said, horrified.

'In 2023?' Flynn interjected, frowning.

'Wait,' Jiya said urgently, as Future Lucy began rummaging around the back of her trouser belt to retrieve what seemed to be a black book. 'You said we can get Rufus back. How?'

'Everything you need,' Future Lucy said, shoving the book roughly into Wyatt's hands, 'it's in there.'

Lucy's eyes widened even more as she recognised the black cover of the book at once. 'Uh, my journal? W-What are we supposed to do with it?' she asked her future self sceptically, utterly bewildered, as Wyatt peered down confusedly at the journal in his hand.

'Just figure it out together,' Future Lucy replied, placing a strange emphasis on that last word.

A hint of a smile flickered momentarily on Lucy's face. 'Together,' she repeated, indicating herself and Wyatt.

'Yes,' Future Lucy said, 'both of you.'

Wyatt swallowed. 'What about the baby?' he asked his future self anxiously, trying to keep his voice quiet in the strange hope that it would make it less painful for Lucy beside him.

'There _is_ no baby,' Future Wyatt said harshly, while Future Lucy averted her eyes sadly. 'Jessica lied to manipulate me…us.'

The words didn't register with Wyatt at first. The moments' silence that followed seemed to last forever in his mind, as he frowned back and registered the bitter expression on the man stood opposite him, the rage and regret and pain in his eyes, the uncomfortable tension emanating between himself and the hardened woman stood awkwardly beside him.

 _Jessica lied to manipulate me._

How could that be true? How could Jessica, the woman he had once loved so dearly and held so close to his heart, be capable of lying about such a thing? And then Wyatt's face fell as he remembered…this wasn't his Jessica. It was just some clone.

In the end it was Rittenhouse. It all boiled down to Rittenhouse.

Lucy turned anxiously to Wyatt, her face full of pity and despair. Even she could barely believe it, and she hadn't exactly held Jessica in the highest regard. It hurt her to see Wyatt in such agony on hearing what they had all secretly suspected since finding out Jessica's true loyalties. She wished there was something she could do.

'Let's go,' Future Wyatt muttered, moving away.

Alarmed and still nowhere near recovered from their sudden appearance, Lucy dived forward and grabbed the slightly-muscled arm of her doppelganger. 'Wait!' she protested urgently.

'There's no time,' Future Lucy snapped firmly, 'just focus on the journal. Okay? Start with page-'

But then she trailed off and closed her eyes, as if she were struggling with something or had been hit by a sudden severe migraine.

'What's wrong?' Lucy asked at once, alarmed as she watched her future self reach out to clutch her head and begin to gasp out in pain. 'What's happening? Is she okay? Or, am _I_ okay?'

'Oh, God!' Future Lucy gasped out in horror, her face contorted in pain, and she turned to hurry away back to safety.

'It's the side effects – we gotta go now,' Future Wyatt said firmly, pushing her urgently up the steps towards the Lifeboat; he turned back to face his younger self and team. 'Take our Lifeboat. It's a lot easier to fly – a few upgrades.'

'You guys can fly ours?!' Jiya asked, amazed.

Future Wyatt turned heavily to face her. 'We've learned a lot in the last five years,' he muttered grimly, flashing his younger self a dark glance.

'What's wrong with her?' Lucy asked Future Wyatt desperately as he marched, unconcerned, up the steps to the Lifeboat.

'She'll be fine,' Future Wyatt replied, and at the top of the steps he turned to give them all one last look. 'Merry Christmas, by the way.'

Lucy turned to face Wyatt, who was still clutching her journal – she wasn't sure about him, but she'd completely forgotten what month it was, let alone that there was a holiday approaching. Some holiday that would be.

When she turned back, Future Wyatt had already gone through the capsule door and the engine had begun to whirr. Wyatt reached out and pulled Lucy away gently by the arm so that she wasn't quite literally blown back by the force of its departure (as he had once been). Once the Lifeboat had disappeared with a loud blast and a huge gust of wind, Lucy and Wyatt simply stayed stood there breathlessly, gazing at the spot where their future selves had stood, before turning their attention back to the black journal in Wyatt's hands.

None of the others surrounding them spoke as Lucy and Wyatt looked at each other. No one knew what to say.

Eventually – and to no one's surprise – it was Flynn who broke the stunned silence. 'So… _that_ happened,' he said.

'That was…beyond weird,' Jiya said, dazed.

'Absolutely incredible,' Mason whispered, still in awe.

'Are you two okay?' Agent Christopher asked Lucy and Wyatt, her forehead creased in concern.

Lucy didn't answer. She didn't know how she was. All she knew was that it would be a very long time until she, if ever, felt okay again.

'What do we do now?' Lucy murmured, her eyes on Wyatt.

Wyatt's face was scrunched up in pain. 'Can I…I just need a few minutes,' he mumbled, stepping back, his head bent low, his eyes welling up.

'Of course, whatever you need…' Lucy said gently, and she reached out to touch his arm but he had already turned and walked away down the corridor, taking the journal with him.

The team watched him go, some anxious for him while others still feeling rather bitter towards him at the moment. Agent Christopher sighed heavily and stepped over to address them all.

'We should leave him alone for a while,' she said quietly. 'He's been through a rough few days.'

Jiya's head shot up incredulously. 'Oh, and the rest of us haven't? Rufus is dead,' she said sharply, her voice breaking on the last word. 'And there's nothing we'll be able to do to change it.'

'I don't agree with that,' Mason called after her, to stop her from walking away. 'If Lucy and Wyatt from five years in the future risked everything to come back here, they must have been truly believed there was a way to save Rufus…to prevent his death.'

'I'm guessing all the answers must lie in the journal then,' Flynn said slyly, and Lucy tilted her head at him.

'That's what you've been telling me from day one,' she murmured.

Flynn smiled. 'Then why waste any more time?'

Lucy looked down awkwardly. It was clear from her expression what she was thinking; she didn't want to disturb Wyatt in his time of misery and grief.

Flynn tutted and rolled his eyes. 'Lucy, c'mon. I sympathise with Wyatt, I do…as much as I hate the guy. He may have got us all into this mess, but no one deserves to have their wife turned evil and their unborn child to be a made-up manipulation ploy,' he said reasonably. ' _But_ …now's not the time for him to sit around feeling sorry for himself. If he wants to amend for what he's done, then he needs to make a start by getting off his ass and helping figure out what the hell those two meant about that journal being able to save Rufus.'

Jiya raised her eyebrows. 'Never thought I'd hear myself saying this, but…I agree with Flynn,' she said reluctantly.

'Thank you,' Flynn said, bemused.

'Fine, I…you're right, I know you're right,' Lucy said heavily, shaking her head to herself. 'I'll go talk to Wyatt, I'll…I'll get the journal from him and…make a start, I guess.'

Avoiding their eye contact, Lucy slowly made her way down the corridor, scratching her head as she tried to come to terms with everything that had just happened over the past twenty-four hours. Her mother and Rufus were both dead, killed at the hands of Emma. Her future self had visited from the future in which Rittenhouse were still at large, where she had lost all hope…and where she and Wyatt seemed to have lost each other in the process. Lucy could barely register any of it. It was all too much for her.

When she arrived at the open doorway to Wyatt and Jessica's room at the other end of the bunker – or rather, just Wyatt's room now – she found her estranged friend sat gloomily in a chair in the corner, resting his head on his hands, deep in thought. Lucy's eyes fell to the two beds that had been pushed together in the centre of the room, but then hastily focussed on Wyatt as he looked up at her. He breathed out deeply and pulled some sort of an attempt at a sad smile.

'I'm so sorry, Wyatt,' Lucy said, and she meant it.

Wyatt sighed heavily. 'How could anyone lie about something like that?' he said miserably.

'It's Rittenhouse. It's how they get what they want, and they're so good at it, too – you don't realize it until it's too late,' she said sympathetically. 'My mother was never the woman I thought she was. Now that she's gone, it still hurts.'

Wyatt glanced up at her, taking in the broken expression on her beaten, bloodied face. In his selfishness, he had almost forgotten that he was not the only one who had been to hell and back. Lucy had lost her mother and her best friend in the same day, and just been shown a glimpse of her rather grim-looking future. No wonder she looked so empty. Wyatt wanted to say something, anything, but no words came to mind. He felt that he had lost that privilege to comfort her ever since he had betrayed her by falling back into Jessica's treacherous arms.

'Are you okay?' Lucy asked quietly.

'Something tells me Jessica wouldn't have been the best mother, anyway,' Wyatt grumbled, and they shared a brief smile before he sighed and carried on bracingly; 'Doesn't matter. What matters is getting Rufus back.'

Lucy nodded, watching him thoughtfully as he got up off his seat and crossed over to the bed, where he had placed the journal. He picked it up and sat down with it, before hesitating and looking up at her; he held the journal out.

'You want to do the honours?' he asked her, a hint of a smile on his face.

Lucy smiled back and entered the room; she sat down tentatively on the bed beside him. Taking the journal, she sighed and opened up the book she had put off reading for so long. She was about to read up on her future…to see all the possibilities…to see what she would decide…to see what would happen…

Wyatt watched, fascinated, as Lucy flicked through the pages, where various pieces of parchment had been glued or clipped inside; a women's right to vote pamphlet, train tickets, leaflets, and more varied documents.

'What is all this?' Wyatt asked.

Lucy looked at him and gave a light shrug, an almost fond smile on her face. 'Our history. All of our missions, it was, uh…my way of keeping record of all of it, I guess,' she replied.

She was a little shaken by the way Wyatt's eyes were fixated on hers; he was gazing at her with such intensity and admiration, that it made her heart race. It was in that moment that Lucy remembered Wyatt's declaration of love merely moments before their future selves' arrival; she had been so preoccupied by what had happened afterwards that she had barely given their previous private conversation a single thought. She managed a somewhat flustered smile at him before returning her attention to the journal.

Wyatt's smile faded as he looked down at the pages she had reached – newspaper clippings about Jessica. The familiar headline still hurt:

 **CORONER CONFIRMS SOLDIER'S WIFE STRANGLED TO DEATH**

And then, at last, Lucy reached the point in the journal which Wyatt had been half-hoping yet half-dreading to see. He swallowed nervously as he took in the length of her detailed essay she had written in that familiar neat handwriting of hers…of the detail she had put into the drawing of the 'Hollywood' sign on those famous hills.

Lucy grimaced as she quickly glimpsed some of her poetic, soppy writing about the events of that trip. _This is awkward._

Wyatt averted his eyes, feeling not exactly embarrassed but more guilty; he felt like he was intruding on her own private thoughts of that wonderful night they had together – which, in a way, he was. And it only reinforced to him just how momentous that occasion had been to Lucy…and how he had ripped that happiness away from them both. He glanced shiftily at Lucy, who glanced back at him, trying to appear cool and collected as she flicked through the pages, secretly mortified by how much she had written.

When her hand paused through turning over the pages, Wyatt's curiosity got the better of him and he glanced down. He only caught a glimpse of one small part at the bottom of the page, but it was enough:

 _Even though I told him to go be with Jessica, it still hurts. He chose her in the end, as if our time in Hollywood never happened._

Wyatt felt his heart sink and he slowly looked up at her, his lips parted, at a complete loss with what to say. In that moment he realised he had never loathed himself more.

'Lucy,' he whispered.

The pain in his voice stunned Lucy, who had accepted the strength of her heartbreak long ago and had in no way been surprised to see just how much she had written concerning what had transpired and what she had felt after Jessica's supposedly-miraculous return. She looked up at Wyatt, who was shaking his head to himself.

'I never meant to hurt you,' he said gently, his gaze begging for forgiveness. 'I just wanted to do the right thing.'

'I know. I know,' she murmured, nodding.

Wyatt's eyes searched hers imploringly, trying to read whatever she was hiding. He knew she understood his reasons for what he did. But he also knew that, just because she understood, that didn't mean it was fixed. He had left her, practically tossed her aside for someone who hadn't even turned out to be his real wife. How could he have not seen it? How could he have not known that she hadn't been _his_ Jessica? Had he just been blinded by the miracle of her impossible return?

Lucy hoped that her resentment towards him did not show in her expression as she returned his longing gaze; she knew he was guilt-ridden and tormented and hurting, but it didn't change what had happened. Nothing could change that.

She then looked down and turned over the page.

'Hollywood…Salem…' She continued to flick through until she paused at a clipping of a black-and-white photograph of a ship, and she frowned. 'Titanic? This hasn't happened yet.'

As she quickly read through the long, detailed passage, Wyatt's eyes were immediately drawn to the suddenly very frequent use of one word he despised: 'Flynn'. Frowning, he peered closer and read one of Lucy's paragraphs:

 _Was it preordained to bring Flynn and I together? I'll never know. I sat wrapped in a blanket, lost in thought, and then Flynn kissed me. And finally the pain I've felt for so long dissipated. So I kissed him back…Again. And again. It wasn't just the right time and place. And it wasn't because of the cold. Whether we admit it or not - we needed each other that night. I could see it in the way Flynn looked at me. I felt it in the way he took me in his arms, the same arms I used to run from – but not anymore. That night, I felt safe, and protected, and loved._

'You and _Flynn_?' Wyatt said, barely concealing his disgust at the thought.

Lucy swallowed. 'Um…' She trailed off, unsure of what to think, let alone how to respond.

Of all the things she had expected to find in the journal, the revelation of a romantic relationship between herself and Garcia Flynn had not been one of them. Lucy was truly taken aback, although, if she was being truly honest with herself, not _that_ surprised. She did not harbour those particular feelings of lust or love for Flynn as such – at least, not now in the present – but there was no denying that she had bonded with him in a most peculiar, unexpected way over the past few months. And she wasn't an idiot; she was aware of the spark between them, of how attractive he was, of how charming he could be…despite all his many, _many_ flaws concerning his troubling recent past. She could see how something _could_ potentially develop between the two of them in the future, given the crumbling relationship between herself and Wyatt, and both her and Flynn's need to seek solace in the arms of another. Lucy just wished she hadn't had Wyatt's prying eyes reading her deepest secrets and feelings and thoughts; this was uncomfortable enough anyway. She wished she had been alone to discover about her and Flynn.

Almost as if he had read her mind, Wyatt then said in a rather heavy voice; 'All right, I'm…gonna let you finish that one.'

He awkwardly got up to his feet, opening his mouth to say something and then closing it again, thinking better of it. Lucy didn't look up or say anything as he left the room; intrigued and feeling slightly guilty, she turned the pages…there was more. It turned out her and Flynn's night on the Titanic had not been just some random one-night stand or act of lust. It seemed that she and Flynn were going to become a couple. According to the journal, anyway…which had proved rather reliable so far.

Lucy looked up at the doorway where Wyatt had disappeared, grateful that he hadn't lashed out at her or let his jealous nature get the better of his temper. In some bizarre way, by reading these passages, it almost felt like her future self had cheated on Wyatt, even though she knew that not to be the case. She knew deep down that she had nothing to feel guilty about. She just had no idea she would be capable of moving on from Wyatt…in what seemed to be the _near_ future…and with Flynn, of all people. Confused and overwhelmed, Lucy then turned back to the journal and continued to read.

* * *

As he trudged moodily along the bunker corridor towards the kitchen, Wyatt was trying desperately to erase that paragraph in the journal from his mind. But it was hard; there was no mistaking Lucy's handwriting after all. She had indeed written it – or rather, she was going to write it. She and Flynn were going to take their friendship to the next level. Or maybe they already had. He had been suspicious of the two of them for a while, after all…always huddled together in the corner, always spending secluded time just the two of them in each other's rooms. They were the only ones left who made the other smile and laugh. The thought hurt Wyatt more than he could say.

He had no right to be upset or angry. He had no right to protest. Lucy was a strong, independent woman, and there was no way she was going to love him back, not after the way he had treated her. The way he had treated everyone. He couldn't expect her to keep pining after him and never moving on; it was inevitable that she was going to fall in love with someone else. He so dearly wished it wasn't the smug murdering former-terrorist that she would choose, but then again, he also wished that his wife and made-up unborn child weren't the twisted products of Rittenhouse – life was unfair, plain and simple. And he had no right putting his nose in Lucy's personal affairs now. She had been right that day in New York, 1919 – it was none of his business.

Sighing heavily as he tried not to dwell on the many romantic tales of her and Flynn that Lucy must be reading at this very moment, Wyatt entered the kitchen and opened the fridge, hoping to grab a drink…only to be interrupted by a very anxious-looking Jiya, who came dashing up to him.

'Hey, you find anything in the journal yet?' she asked urgently, her face tired and empty, yet her eyes wide and alive with hope.

'We've found some…things,' Wyatt replied uncomfortably, his voice breaking slightly as the pain seared through him again, 'but…nothing about Rufus, though. Yet,' he added, trying to remain optimistic.

'Okay, I can look at it maybe then, and I can see if-' Jiya suggested breathlessly, but Wyatt interrupted her.

'Hey. They said…me and Lucy,' Wyatt said cautiously, shaking his head at Jiya.

This was a fact that he had been clinging onto ever since their visitors from the future had departed. It must have been important. He and Lucy as a team, working together – it was the one thing he had left in this terrible world.

'There's got to be a reason-'

'If your future selves are so brilliant, then why didn't they just tell us what to do?' Jiya cut over him roughly, beyond frustrated.

Wyatt looked away from her furious gaze, not knowing what to say. He felt so helpless. He was the reason they were in this mess, after all. He was the reason Rufus was dead. Even if Lucy didn't believe that, he knew it was true.

Jiya's face fell as she saw the pain wash over Wyatt. 'Sorry, I'm just…'

'No, it's…it's okay,' Wyatt reassured her gently.

Knowing that he had to try to stop his spiral of self-hatred at some point, Wyatt then made an effort to comfort Jiya, someone he had never really had much time to bond closely with. He owed her more than an apology for what his actions had led to. She had spent years living in the past, something that had inevitably changed her and perhaps scarred her for life. Even as he tried to start making up for what his blind faith in Jessica had cost Jiya, Wyatt's attempts at consoling her only went so far due to the inconvenient timing of the loud siren that began to ring around the bunker, alerting the team of the Mothership's most recent trip.

Mason quickly alerted them all to the Mothership's destination; Sacramento on January the 28th, 1848. As Lucy wearily emerged from Wyatt's room, she informed the team that the date marked four days after gold had been discovered at Sutter's Mill, which had instigated the gold rush, hence forming the Californian state. While Agent Christopher insisted that they chase after the Mothership to stop the sleeper agent, an outraged Wyatt protested, stressing the importance of getting Rufus back rather than wasting their time trying to stop Rittenhouse from stealing any gold. Christopher, however, pointed out that there was no point in getting Rufus back if they let Rittenhouse decimate history, and, despite Mason and Jiya's very heated reservations, her word was final. After all, as Christopher rightly put – and Lucy couldn't help agreeing with her – the world needed saving from Rittenhouse, and it was what Rufus would have wanted.

As they all assembled their things and got ready for departure, Wyatt tentatively knocked on the door to Lucy's room, clutching her journal that she had left on his bed. She had now brushed her hair and was attempting to conceal her bruises and bloody scars with makeup in the small grubby mirror on the table.

'Hey…do you mind if I take this with us?' Wyatt asked her, holding up the journal. 'You never know, it might be useful. We can still look through it for anything about Rufus, even with a damn sleeper agent to take care of.'

'Uh…sure,' Lucy replied airily. 'I'm not sure if it has anything on Sacramento, I didn't…get that far before the alarm went off. Maybe it's best if we don't know what's going to happen in our immediate future, anyway. It's all a bit…confusing.'

'Yeah. I suppose what's written in here keeps altering whenever the timeline changes…without us even knowing,' Wyatt said, watching her carefully.

'I guess so.'

Wyatt took a tentative step forward. 'Do you think…the Flynn thing…is part of this timeline?' he asked, without bothering to conceal how hurt he was by this prospect.

'Are you asking me if I think it's going to happen?' Lucy said, unimpressed, as she turned to face him with raised eyebrows. 'You really think going into the whole free will versus determinism debate with me again is really the best thing for us right now?'

Wyatt's lips twitched in response as he moved closer towards her. 'Okay, point taken. I'm sorry, I'm just…I was a little…caught off guard by it, that's all,' he admitted, and Lucy rolled her eyes as she turned back to the mirror to dab more foundation on a particularly large, purple bruise on her cheekbone.

'You're not the only one.'

'I get that you won't want to talk about it. Least of all, with me. I just…I want you to know there's no hard feelings,' Wyatt said, and Lucy's hand holding her foundation bottle froze. 'If…that _is_ the way it goes. With you two.'

Lucy glanced at him in the reflection of her mirror. 'I appreciate that, Wyatt,' she said softly. 'And for the record, I don't know if or when or how it will happen.'

Wyatt frowned as he looked down at the journal in his hands, the handwritten passage about the Titanic still imprinted on his mind. 'Well…you kind of do,' he said, and Lucy smirked.

'Okay, yep…I kind of do. But you know what I mean. Like you said, and like everything with Jessica showed…timelines can change,' Lucy pointed out, shrugging, as she put the lid back on her foundation bottle and turned away from the mirror. 'And…honestly, I've got enough on my plate without having to deal with working out whether I have romantic feelings towards a man who used to try and kill me as a weekly habit.'

Wyatt tried to smile in response. 'Gotcha,' he said, but then he frowned when he noticed one of her angry-looking bruises still visible on her forehead, shielded slightly by her hair. 'You've, err…you've missed a bit.'

'Oh, where?' Lucy asked, frowning in the mirror.

'Just, uh…here, let me,' Wyatt offered, before he'd even realised what he was doing, and he moved forward and undid the lid to her foundation bottle.

He dabbed some foundation on his finger and placed it gently over the mark on her forehead, and his gentle touch almost made Lucy shudder. Their proximity made her nervous; she could feel the warmth of his breath. Once the bruise was concealed as well as possible, Wyatt paused and looked into her eyes. He was met with an urge to caress her cheek, to cup her face in his hands and kiss all her bruises and scratches. But he did not.

Instead, after a slight hesitation, he removed his finger from her forehead and withdrew his gaze from hers as he replaced the bottle of foundation on the little table. Swallowing loudly, Wyatt backed away.

'Sorry, I…I'll see you on the Lifeboat,' he murmured, and, patting the journal in his hands, he awkwardly left the room.

The moment he had shut the door behind him, Lucy released a deep breath that she had been holding in subconsciously since the moment his finger had made contact with her forehead. _How_ , after everything he had put her through, did Wyatt still have this effect on her? Just one look…just one touch…it was all it took to make Lucy's heart soar and her stomach fill with butterflies, even when in mourning for two loved ones. Even though she couldn't imagine ever feeling ready or willing to reconcile her and Wyatt's cursed romance, Lucy still found it hard to imagine her feeling capable enough to move on, let alone to embark on an alternative life together with Flynn.

This troubling mindset was only further reinforced when Lucy awkwardly stumbled into the new, upgraded Lifeboat from the future, and her eyes fell on Flynn already sat in one of the passenger seats. He flashed a smile at her; she hastily avoided his gaze and turned her attention instead to the impressive surroundings. The interior of this Lifeboat was far more superior to the one they had been used to, with its bright lighting and extra gadgets and buttons and screens decorating the walls.

'Woah,' Lucy murmured, impressed.

Jiya and Wyatt glanced around at her from the front console; Wyatt averted his eyes quickly. Lucy sat onto the seat opposite Flynn. It was only then when she noticed that he was still wearing his arm sling after his gunshot wound, and as a result was struggling to put on his seat belt. She felt inclined to offer to help him.

'Hey,' Lucy said, 'is your arm okay?'

'It's fine,' Flynn reassured her firmly, but then he gestured his mouth as he looked over her face. 'You got…a little bit of something here.'

'Makeup can only cover so much,' Lucy replied as she fastened herself in.

Wyatt kept his face turned away and bent low during this exchange, and focussed deeply on his seatbelt, trying not to give in to his jealousy or react too badly. It was perhaps for the best that he did not look up, for Lucy had begun to blush; before, she would never have even thought twice about Flynn noticing a mark on her lips, but now, after reading that Titanic entry, it made her rather self-conscious. Her eyes flickered up to Flynn, and it was then that she remembered that he had read all of the journal. He had even told her himself that it had been like a personal bible for him, guiding his path forward. So that meant that he knew. All this time, all those hostile encounters at first, and later all those secluded moments of bonding just the two of them…Flynn had known what was to come…what their future together would be. It left Lucy feeling rather stunned. Could it really be true?

'Whoa,' Jiya then said, distracting Lucy from her tangled web of thoughts, and she turned around to face them all with an amazed look on her face. 'This thing has autopilot.'

'What? As in…anyone can fly it?' Wyatt asked beside her, impressed.

'Apparently. You just plug in the date and location,' Jiya explained, staring in awe at the high-tech screens in front of her. 'I guess Future Me built a DeLorean out of the Lifeboat.'

There was a slight pause in the Lifeboat; Lucy and Wyatt knew they were all thinking the same thing.

'That's a joke Rufus would've made,' Jiya murmured as she tried to concentrate fiercely on the controls before her, and she sighed. 'I wish he could see this.'

'He'll see it, Jiya,' Lucy said determinedly, and Jiya turned around to face her hopefully. 'I know he will.'

Jiya nodded, her eyes wide and glistening with tears, before turning back to the control screen and entering in the date and location of their destination. Lucy glimpsed across at Wyatt, who was smiling reassuringly at her, wordlessly telling her that he agreed with her – they were going to get Rufus back, whatever it took. As the capsule door closed and the engine began to whirr, Lucy then looked opposite her at Flynn. He met her gaze and his lips began to curve in a sly, knowing smile…those lips that would apparently one day kiss hers on a cold night on the Titanic. Feeling Wyatt's eyes on her, Lucy blinked rather rapidly and looked down, flustered; this journal that Wyatt had perhaps foolishly decided to bring along with them to 1848 only seemed to be causing more problems than solving them.


	40. A Change To The Timeline

**This chapter covers the second part of episode 2x11 (next chapter to follow in the next week or so). Thanks everyone for your kind reviews, it really means a lot!**

* * *

Coloma, California wasn't quite as decrepit as the team had expected, considering the 170-year time difference. Once the four of them had stolen some appropriate clothes from a nearby barn, Lucy, Wyatt, Jiya and Flynn entered the centre of the grimy town cautiously. Lucy could barely see for all the dust that clouded the air as many horses trotted past, but there was no mistaking the sight of James Marshall, the millwright who discovered gold. As Lucy led the way determinedly towards him and his boss, John Sutter, there was a loud, jeering whoop from some of the men gathered outside one of the buildings. Lucy clicked her tongue agitatedly as they continued to wolf-whistle at her and Jiya; Wyatt turned and scowled warningly at them.

And then one of the men howled appreciatively. 'I'd like to mine that gold!' he called over to Lucy and Jiya. 'Come back, say hi!'

At this, Lucy halted in her tracks, but before Wyatt had any time to shout at the distasteful men, she had already rounded on her heels and stormed up to them, furious.

'Has any woman ever responded positively to that?' she demanded angrily, as Wyatt followed her and held her back by her arm, trying to hide how both impressed and amused he was by her attitude.

One of the men looked rather disgruntled. 'Just admiring the view, miss,' he said innocently.

'Oh!' Lucy said sardonically, and she let Wyatt pull her away slightly.

'We don't see many women 'round here, especially pretty ones,' the first man said, leering at her.

Rolling their eyes, Lucy and Wyatt then stepped back; Wyatt led her away with his hand on the small of her back. Trying not to be embarrassed by the way she had lost her temper like that, Lucy walked on…but then the wolf-whistling man continued to speak.

'First that redhead and the blonde this morning. And now these two,' he said, taking a swig from a bottle.

Lucy and Wyatt froze; perhaps these idiots would actually be somewhat useful.

It soon transpired that Emma and Jessica had headed for Sutter's Mill…only the gold rush didn't seem to be their only objective of this trip. The 'Wanted – Dead or Alive' posters, each depicting the hand-drawn faces of Lucy, Wyatt, Jiya and Flynn plastered around the town were evidence enough that Emma wasn't playing games anymore. And even Jessica was a willing part in it.

Once Lucy and Jiya had changed into some men's clothes and hats as a disguise, the four of them then stole some horses and rode out, away from the town and the people, towards Sutter's Mill. Hopefully they would be able to avoid capture and catch up with Emma and Jessica before they activated any sleeper agent.

After a while of riding, they came to a stop under the shelter of a tree in the middle of an empty meadow, so they and the horses could rest. As Lucy stroked her horse affectionately, Flynn sidled up to her.

'You're not fooling anyone dressed like that,' he said, reaching over to stroke her horse too.

'General lack of females in the vicinity…two women on horseback would've been flagged a mile away,' Lucy said.

She looked up at him. He was smiling, in a tender sort of way that only reminded her more of the Titanic entry she had read. It was no good – she would have to talk to him about it. Now seemed as good a time as any while Wyatt and Jiya were preoccupied with their horses, out of earshot.

'All this time,' Lucy began, with slightly raised eyebrows, 'you knew what was in the journal.'

Flynn looked almost uncomfortable. 'I told you it can be…unreliable.'

'I mean, with us.'

'Oh, so you finally got to the good part, huh? Must have been, uh…awkward,' Flynn said, glancing pointedly over at Wyatt, his lips twitching slightly.

Lucy said nothing, but continued to stroke her horse. Yes, it had been _unbearably_ awkward. She had never wanted Wyatt to read that. Not that it should have stung for him that much anyway, not when he had still been sharing a bed with his wife only two nights ago.

'Well? Was it everything you imagined?' Flynn asked teasingly. 'You _were_ imagining it, weren't you?'

Lucy laughed softly, surprised by his playful tone. She didn't answer him, because, in all honestly, she didn't know what the answer was, and she certainly wasn't in the mood for flirting back, not when she was so confused and grief-stricken. She glanced guiltily over at Wyatt, whose back was to them, and couldn't help wondering if she had been in denial about the depth of the burgeoning spark between her and Flynn.

'Why didn't you tell me that we were going to be together?' Lucy asked Flynn quietly.

Flynn hesitated. 'Honestly? I…didn't really believe it,' he admitted in a gentle voice, shrugging, and he averted his eyes. 'I'm not exactly your type.'

Lucy tilted her head at him sceptically. 'You don't know anything about my type,' she said, in a low, almost playful voice, and her lips twitched.

'Also, I almost killed you a few times, so…there's that,' Flynn went on awkwardly.

'In the future, I must have…seen a different side to you,' Lucy said softly, and then she gazed up at him, knowing she had to be honest. 'I guess I've already started to.'

'Oh, then stop,' Flynn said in a low, firm voice, and he glanced down to avoid her puppy-dog eyes. ''Cause if you read the rest of the journal…that affair we have? It ends badly, because…'

He trailed off, not knowing what to say, not wanting to admit just how much it was hurting him. Lucy gazed back at him, turmoiled. Flynn smiled sadly at her.

'…Your heart always belonged to someone else,' Flynn finished in barely more than a whisper, and his voice broke slightly.

His affectionate smile was not fooling her in the slightest; Lucy swallowed slightly as she realised that Flynn had been dealing with this knowledge for the whole duration of his time with her…ever since he had stepped foot in the bunker and he and Lucy had come closer together, he had known all along that, no matter what, it was always Wyatt for her. Always.

Lucy didn't want to look but she couldn't help it; almost by instinct, at Flynn's words she turned to watch Wyatt. He was busy tending to his horse, too preoccupied to notice that Lucy and Flynn were discussing their doomed romance. Just the sight of him still sent tingles down her spine as she was reminded of those three words he had spoken to her earlier this morning…the way he had looked at her when they opened the journal in his room…

She turned back to Flynn. He was tilting his head at her, still smiling softly, wordlessly saying: 'It's okay.'

The complex relationship that Flynn had read over repeatedly in disbelief when first obtaining the journal had always been nothing more than the romance of two broken people seeking solace in each other's arms, both trying to find a respite from the madness and heartbreak and grief. It was not meant to be, and now it never would – Flynn would make sure of that. Despite how he now felt about Lucy, he was not going to let this future come to pass…not when they both knew that she would always love someone else. Even if both he and Lucy felt something for each other now – they had been trying to fight it, but there was no denying the attraction was indeed there after all – it would never work, so what was the point in going down that path in the first place? And so, as Flynn watched Lucy gaze back at him with an almost apologetic expression on her face, he took the decision upon himself, there and then, to stop the journals' events between the two of them from ever happening, to protect himself…and to spare her, as well. Besides, they'd all been through enough pain already without adding any more complications to the mix. It was never meant to be – he knew that, and Lucy knew that. And he also knew that, in time, he would come to terms with it. Even if it was already too late to stop himself from getting heartbroken in the process.

Meanwhile, Wyatt was occasionally throwing the odd surreptitious glance in Lucy and Flynn's direction, yearning to know what it was they were discussing so intensely. He didn't like the way they were gazing at each other so tenderly. Perhaps they were talking about the Titanic. Perhaps they were saying…'why wait'? After all, what was the point in waiting for the inevitable if they knew those feelings were there?

'You okay there, Wyatt?' Jiya asked, watching him carefully.

'Yeah. Fine,' Wyatt grumbled.

Jiya followed his gaze; her eyes fell on Lucy and Flynn, lost in their own little bubble. 'I wouldn't worry, y'know,' she said, rolling her eyes. 'There is such a thing as a man and woman being just friends.'

'Yeah. Not with those two. It's in the journal. They get together in the future,' Wyatt explained, his head bent low.

'Oh yeah? So you're saying they're just going to go along with that because it's written down in some diary?' Jiya said sceptically. 'You know Lucy better than I do, she's not one to follow a script. Particularly when she's still in love with someone else.'

Before Wyatt had time to properly consider her words, the sound of hooves and yells in the distance alerted him to the gang of intimidating-looking men who had appeared and were riding towards them from the other side of the meadow.

Wyatt raised his voice to call out to Lucy and Flynn. 'We have company!'

The leader of the approaching gang turned out to be a notorious man by the name of Joaquin Murrieta. As Lucy explained, his half-brother had been murdered and his wife assaulted, after a dispute over a mule. Murrieta had subsequently killed the men who did it and became known as one of the most dangerous bandits in California. Unfortunately, it appeared that the horses they had stolen to chase after Emma were in fact Murrieta's horses, though by some miracle, the team managed to persuade Murrieta and his men to not shoot them with the promise of the discovery of gold up at the mill. At Murrieta's orders, they were to ride together until nightfall.

'Must have been Tornado,' Lucy muttered, as they watched Murrieta and his men ride ahead, Murrieta's horse neighing loudly as they passed.

'As in Zorro's horse, Tornado?' Wyatt said in surprise, watching Lucy struggle onto her horse with a loud grunt. 'Zorro was _real_?'

'Joaquin Murrieta, he was…one of the Mexican outlaws that inspired the legend of Zorro,' Lucy replied, taking a firm hold of her reigns.

'Now you tell me!' Wyatt said, and for one fleeting moment Lucy was reminded of the time Wyatt had turned into a geeky, over-enthusiastic fanboy when meeting Ian Fleming…a time that seemed so long ago now.

'Were you gonna ask for his autograph?' Lucy asked sarcastically. 'I was a little focused on the fact that he was trying to kill us. Come on.'

They rode for a fair few hours, Lucy and Flynn talking as normal as they went. It felt strangely normal for them to travel for hours on end by horseback now. When night fell, Joaquin Murrieta chose a place for them all to rest and set up camp. Lucy and Jiya sat huddled around the fire, trying to get warm; Jiya ended up succumbing to tears over the loss of Rufus, and while Lucy consoled her, Wyatt took out the journal and began to pour relentlessly through the pages, searching for a clue, _anything_ , that would help them in their mission to save their friend. But it was hard to focus on Rufus when all that kept staring up at him were endless pages about Jessica. Jessica's death, Jessica's return, Jessica's betrayal…she had ruined so much. She had cost him, and the team, everything.

As Jiya calmed down and she and Lucy tried to change the subject and talk about other things, an agitated Wyatt then found a passage in the journal that he must have missed on first skimming through it:

 _There was a time I barely remember now before all of this. I have to remind myself what it was like then. A time when I had a mother I trusted, a sister I adored. A life that was familiar, safe. And then time travel happened and history changed._

 _I thought history was something worth protecting – worth dying for, even, no matter what. I thought I knew who the enemy was, but I was wrong. It was Rittenhouse: an organization that wanted to control the past, present and future. And worse, my family was part of it._

 _I thought I'd lost everything, so all that was left to do was to fight. Not for the past anymore, but for our future. Everyone's future. Fight for each other._

 _It wasn't enough, though. And we lost the only thing we had left – hope._

 _But this can't be the end of our story. We've come too far, we've sacrificed too much. There has to be a way to get back what we lost. To make things right and save the people we love, no matter what. But it's all up to you now. You have to change history._

Wyatt stared at the last sentence for a considerable time, and then, struck by inspiration, he continued to flick through the journal pages, looking out for key events, barely away of Lucy talking in the background.

'I thought the legend of Joaquin's family tragedy was just some…myth from an 1854 dime novel,' Lucy was saying. 'I mean, if it's true, he's about to go on a murderous rampage across the state of California.'

'Can you blame him?' Jiya muttered, staring into the flames.

Wyatt then let out a deep sigh, and he rested his head on his hand in dismay as the hand holding the journal went slightly limp. Lucy looked around at him in concern.

'Wyatt? What is it?' she asked.

'It's Jessica,' Wyatt replied, his voice so quiet she barely heard him.

'What?'

Wyatt held out the journal in his hand. 'I keep rereading these pages…and everything leads to the same place. Jessica is the reason Rufus is dead,' he said heavily, as Flynn joined them by the camp. 'Rittenhouse brought her back to distract me or spy on us…I don't really know. But I played right into their hands when I brought her into the bunker.'

Flynn sat down across the fire from Lucy, a frown on his face as he watched Wyatt struggle internally with the terrifying truth facing him. Lucy's heart was pounding as she tried to stop her eyes from welling up at Wyatt's pain.

'Jiya, she's the one who kidnapped you, she's the reason we went to Chinatown. There is a simple equation here. It has been here all along, I just didn't want to see it. It's the reason…the future version of you gave me the journal,' Wyatt said, gazing at Lucy, whose expression was impassive.

'So you're saying…' Jiya trailed off with a frown, confused.

Wyatt looked up at her despairingly. 'I'm saying because Jessica lives, Rufus dies,' he explained, his voice shaking as he tried to fight back tears.

Lucy, Jiya and Flynn paused for a moment, trying to register his words. None of them could say anything. They knew he was right.

'And to save Rufus, Jessica has to be taken out of the timeline somehow,' Wyatt went on, his eyes glistening with the ghosts of his past, and he swallowed angrily. 'And I'm gonna be the one to do it. I will make sure that Jessica never steps _foot_ in the bunker.'

'You mean, go back to your own timeline?' Jiya said, aghast.

'No! No way. It's too dangerous, you could die,' Lucy protested firmly, not even humouring the ridiculous suggestion.

'It's the only way to save Rufus,' Wyatt murmured, staring grimly into the fire.

Lucy's eyes widened in horror as she realised that he was in fact being serious. 'How does it help us to save Rufus if it means sacrificing you?' she demanded.

'Because _Rufus_ didn't deserve what happened to him,' Wyatt replied, his voice shaking once again as he met her gaze.

Lucy stared into his bloodshot eyes, shocked, as an animal howled far out in the distance and the fire continued to crackle. She didn't know what to think. She didn't know what to say.

'You didn't deserve what I did to you,' Wyatt said, looking away from Lucy. 'I let everybody down. 'But I'm gonna make things right.'

'Well, you're not doing it alone,' Lucy said determinedly, and Flynn eyed her anxiously. 'I'm coming with you.'

Her words and expression made Wyatt's heart begin to race.

'I am, too. We'll get Rufus back together,' Jiya said, her tone fierce.

Wyatt opened his mouth to protest, though he was overwhelmingly touched by their support, but then Flynn interjected.

'Well, it sounds like a noble plan, but if you all die trying to save Rufus…who will be left here to save the world from Rittenhouse?' Flynn pointed out.

They all looked at each other anxiously; apparently, they had reached a moot point on the matter. As they all settled down to try and get some sleep so they would be ready to face Emma by the mill tomorrow, Wyatt formed a new plan in his mind. Flynn had a point – there needed to be some of the team left to fight Rittenhouse, and Lucy and Jiya were more than capable of handling themselves now after everything they had been through. So, Wyatt and Wyatt alone would go back to…'erase' Jessica from the timeline. Only he could make that sacrifice, because only he was responsible for bringing Jessica into this. He was guilty of that, and so he should pay the consequences. But not Lucy and Jiya; they were innocent in all this. Only Wyatt could do it, and he had to do it alone. And he knew that, no matter how much it would destroy him to do it, taking Jessica's life would be worth it if it brought Rufus back to them.

As the hours slowly passed and Wyatt lay with his eyes wide open, watching the flames still going in the campfire, his reverie was then broken by a nudge from Flynn, who had crept over.

'Hey, Wyatt. You awake?' he muttered.

Wyatt sat up and raised his eyebrows. 'You really think I'd be able to sleep?' he grumbled.

'Here, have this back,' Flynn murmured, and he dropped Lucy's journal into Wyatt's lap. 'I borrowed it while you were staring into the eternal depths of the campfire's soul.'

'Why? Haven't you read it enough times?' Wyatt grumbled.

Flynn didn't answer. 'I'm gonna go on ahead while it's dark, I'll scout the mill,' Flynn said quietly. 'Just…thought I'd let you know.'

Wyatt shrugged. 'Okay.'

There was a pause and then, out of nowhere, Flynn bent down and clasped Wyatt on the shoulder. 'You're a good man, Wyatt,' he whispered.

Wyatt's eyebrows shot up his forehead as he stared up at Flynn, silhouetted in the moonlight as he stood over him. 'You drunk?'

Flynn laughed softly. 'I wish. I'll see you later,' he said quietly, and, taking one look at the sleeping figure of Lucy, he then turned and walked away into the darkness.

The rest of the night passed slowly, but as the hours ticked by, Wyatt became only more certain of his plan, even though it made him sick to his stomach. He had never expected that he would one day be conspiring to murder his wife. Perhaps it would be good if he _did_ die in the process. He wasn't sure if he could live with himself if not.

There was then a noise from nearby; he looked over to see that Lucy had startled herself awake. She removed her hat that had been shielding her face and looked over at him, sat there with the journal closed on his lap, his eyes reflecting the flames of the campfire still burning.

'Wyatt,' Lucy said in a small voice, frowning over at the empty spot across from her. 'Where's Flynn?'

'He rode ahead, said he wanted to scout the mill,' Wyatt replied tiredly.

Lucy sighed. 'What for?' she asked, frowning.

'He didn't say,' Wyatt said.

He smiled sadly at the look of concern on her face; she may try to deny it, but there was no pretending to him anymore, not really. Whatever would or would not happen in the future between them, it was clear that Flynn meant a great deal to Lucy, and her to him. It was bizarre, in a way, how that had happened. Wyatt couldn't help wondering if their special bond would have even formed if Rittenhouse hadn't brought Jessica back.

'Get some rest,' Wyatt said to Lucy softly.

But she didn't close her eyes. Wyatt sighed heavily as he turned his attention back to the fire, left with nothing but the troubling thoughts of what he was going to have to do.

* * *

When they all arrived at Sutter's Mill the next morning, Joaquin Murrieta was so delighted by the truth of Lucy's word about the gold mine that he allowed them all to keep his horses that they had 'borrowed'. Lucy wished she could share in his enthusiasm, but the worryingly long absence of Flynn was pressing on her. He had supposedly left earlier to scout this area for them, so where was he?

Wyatt had other more urgent matters to deal with, however; in fact, he was so determined to find and catch the Rittenhouse sleeper agent that it took him a while to realise that he, Lucy and Jiya were being held at gunpoint by the men who had seen the wanted posters back in town. The three of them were locked up in an abandoned barn while the men waited for their 'reward' for capturing them, but the teams' musings about Flynn's whereabouts and Murrieta's fate were soon interrupted by the distant sound of approaching horses and shouting.

'Wait,' Lucy said urgently, as the sound of gunshots filled the air outside. 'What is that?'

She was suddenly filled with hope; perhaps Flynn hadn't run off somewhere and he was coming to their rescue.

'Sounds like Flynn is really 'Flynning it up' out there,' Jiya said drily as they listened to the continuous gunshots and yells outside.

'Flynn! Flynn, it's us! We're in here, help us!' Lucy cried out desperately.

'Yeah, it's about time!' Wyatt shouted, his tone impatient.

To their relief, the barn door was then kicked open, and a man stepped dramatically through. Only it wasn't Flynn.

'Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals,' the man greeted with a wicked grin.

It was Rufus.

The three of them stared up at him in joy, unable to believe it was really him. Rufus eyed them all worriedly, wondering why they were all giving him such funny looks.

'Rufus!'

'It's you!'

'You're really here!'

'Well of course I'm here,' Rufus said, chuckling, and he dived down to untie Wyatt and Jiya from their posts.

Jiya immediately launched herself at him and threw her arms tightly around his neck. 'Oh, my God. Oh, my God, we saved you!' Jiya cried gleefully, and Lucy laughed, inanely happy, as Wyatt untied her from her post.

'Uh, I'm pretty sure I'm the one that did the saving,' Rufus said, confused, before Lucy flung herself at him. 'Oh-'

'Let me at him!' Wyatt said, hugging Rufus as well as all of them clutched their resurrected loved one tightly.

'Geez, leave you alone for one second-' Rufus began, but Jiya cut over him by kissing him firmly on the lips; surprised, he leaned away and gazed at her. 'I think I'm gonna have to let you get captured more often.'

'Rufus,' Jiya said desperately, 'you were dead.'

Rufus jerked his head back and forth between them all, perplexed. 'I…was…what?'

'You died in San Francisco, 1888. Emma shot you,' Wyatt replied.

'When was I in 1888?' Rufus asked in bewilderment, and Lucy began to shake her head, confused; something wasn't right.

'It doesn't matter, okay? You're alive now,' Jiya said, overcome with relief.

'Yeah, very much so,' Rufus said, still frowning.

'How is that possible?' Wyatt asked Lucy quietly, confused.

'Flynn did it,' she realised aloud.

Rufus raised his eyebrows sceptically. 'This mean I'm gonna have to hug him, too?'

Lost for words, Lucy looked up at Wyatt. He was gazing back at her, and he could tell they were both thinking the same thing; they now knew where Flynn had gone, but where was he _now_? What had happened? Lucy felt her stomach drop to the pit of her stomach, but just then they were interrupted by Joaquin Murrieta calling from outside.

'Rufus! Did you find your friends? I need a hand over here!'

'BRB. Got to go help Zorro,' Rufus said smugly, and he dashed off out of the barn.

Laughing and still unable to believe her boyfriend was really truly _here_ , Jiya hurried off after him, leaving Lucy and Wyatt alone in the barn, still stunned.

Lucy watched them go, her face creased with worry as she tried to understand what had just occurred. 'Wait, so…Flynn must have taken the Lifeboat and…' She trailed off and turned to face Wyatt.

'Taken Jessica out of the timeline,' Wyatt finished for her, his voice and expression empty.

'Rufus didn't die? He went with us on this trip? He's-he's been here all along?' Lucy asked, shaking her head incredulously.

'And Jessica is…gone,' Wyatt said heavily, his heart sinking.

He swallowed and looked down. He didn't know what to think – was he relieved? Was he heartbroken? He felt like he had mourned Jessica so much that there was hardly any grief left to give, particularly after the way Rittenhouse had changed her into a completely different person. The Jessica who Flynn had taken out of the timeline was _not_ the Jessica he had once known and loved. She had been merely a clone of that woman. A pawn. He knew he must remember that. But it didn't make it any less difficult to process.

Lucy gazed pitifully at him and tilted her head. She didn't know what to say; how could you comfort someone whose mission of killing his wife had already been taken care of for him? It was one of the most convoluted, unsettling situations they'd ever been in.

Wyatt sighed. 'I guess this is why you end up with Flynn,' he murmured, averting his gaze, and he handed her the battered journal from the inside of his coat.

His tone wasn't bitter, more accepting. He had a newfound respect for Flynn now, that alone was clear, and with it came a certain maturity on the whole matter. It stunned Lucy to see Wyatt finally appreciate Flynn for the hero he was. Almost as much as it surprised Wyatt himself…he was resigned to the fact now that he needed to take a step back. He needed to let Lucy explore her feelings for both men in her life, so she could make her own choice, on her own terms. Though, of course…that choice was already written out before them in the book he was holding out to her.

Lucy took the journal from him, but as Wyatt walked past her, his head bent low, Lucy turned and the words came out before she'd even considered them.

'I don't,' she called after him.

Wyatt froze in his tracks and slowly turned around to face her, confused. Lucy's heart skipped a beat.

'I…I don't end up with him,' Lucy said heavily, her gaze never leaving his.

Wyatt stared at her, his heart racing. What did this mean? What was she trying to tell him? He took a step forward, opening his mouth to speak…but then Rufus peeped his head around the door.

'Let's go, you two,' Rufus said.

Wyatt looked at him, then turned back to Lucy, his breathing rather shaky as he took in the longing expression on her beautiful, battered and bruised face.

'Guys, come on!' Rufus urged.

Sighing, Wyatt followed Rufus out of the barn. Lucy stayed stood there in the barn for a moment to catch her breath, and looked down at the journal in her hands. It was only then when she noticed the piece of parchment sticking out of one of the pages. She opened it and frowned as she began to read while slowly following Wyatt out of the barn:

 _My dear Lucy,_

 _If you're reading this, I guess I didn't make it back. Well, maybe that's for the best, when you think about what I've done in the past. To the team. To you._

 _We both wanted to stop Rittenhouse, but somehow you didn't let it destroy you the way I did. So if anyone's expendable on this team, it's me. Tell Rufus he can thank me later. I have to admit, I don't hate the guy._

 _I regret the pain I caused you, Lucy. And maybe by doing this, I can find a small way to make things right, so you can have the future you deserve. I know with time, you'll forgive Wyatt, because you love him. And deep down, you know he was just trying to do the right thing. I hope you get everything you want in life. I hope you can be happy. And one day, I hope you get to have a family of your own. And I hope you get your sister back._

 _There are some things in the journal, I never could figure them out. But it's led us this far. One good thing in my life, the one thing that I couldn't hate after I lost my family. Never give up trying to save the world from Rittenhouse, and then maybe you can save the ones you love._

 _Well, guess I'll see you Christmas Eve, 2014. You know the place._

 _All my love,_

 _Flynn_

Wyatt was busy praising Rufus for how he had taken down the sleeper agent outside when he realised that Lucy wasn't stood beside him as usual. He turned around; she had paused outside the barn and was clutching hold of a piece of parchment. Even from this distance, he could see a tear as it rolled down her cheek. Concerned, he walked over to her.

'Lucy,' he said, and he frowned as she looked blankly up at him from the parchment in her hands. 'What's wrong?'

'It's Flynn,' Lucy replied dazedly, blinking away her tears as she looked up at Wyatt, Rufus and Jiya, who were all stood before her with inquisitive expressions. 'He…'

Wyatt's heart sank as he realised what she was trying to say. Lucy sniffled loudly.

'H-he wrote me a note,' she said in a small voice.

Wyatt gazed at her and breathed deeply. He was completely at a loss with what to say. All he knew was that he was no longer the only one grieving in their team today.

'What kind of note?' Rufus asked warily, frowning.

Lucy smiled sadly. 'The goodbye kind,' she replied, as another tear fell down her cheek, and she whimpered slightly. 'I…I don't think he's coming back.'

The journal and Flynn's letter fell from Lucy's grasp and tumbled to the sandy ground; Wyatt hurried over and picked them both up before putting his arm around Lucy. She cried silently into his shoulder, while Rufus and Jiya approached with sad expressions and wrapped their arms around Lucy as well. Lucy didn't want to believe it, not after everything she had lost, but she had to. Flynn was gone.

* * *

Agent Christopher informed them all what had happened once they had returned safely to the bunker. Lucy kept to herself in the corner of the room on the steps to the Lifeboat, reading through all her entries about Flynn in the journal, while the rest of the team assembled around the tables in the kitchen, but she still listened. After dispatching Jessica, Flynn had sent the Lifeboat back to the team in 1848 but stayed in 2012 – whether this was due to the severe time-travel side effects or a desire to see his family for one last time, it wasn't clear. The body of a John Doe matching his description was later found in the dunes by the ocean; Agent Christopher even had the file, and the autopsy photograph, to show that it was, in no doubt, Flynn.

'I'd like to propose a toast to Flynn,' Mason said, having put out a tray with drinks for them all on the table.

Wyatt sighed as he took the lead in raising a glass. 'He had our backs. Sacrificed his life so that we could defeat Rittenhouse together,' he said admirably, and Lucy looked up from the other end of the room, surprised. 'Let's not let him down. We owe him that.'

'To Garcia,' Mason rang out, and they all drank.

Lucy remained silent and kept away from them all; it was only once everyone had dispersed that she felt she could relax. Wyatt came back soon afterwards though, unable to leave her alone in her grief. She was the only one here who deeply felt Flynn's loss to her very core. She had been his only friend in this bunker. They had bonded on an entirely different level, and grown extremely close in a short space of time. It left her feeling so unbearably empty, even more so than her own mother's death, and Wyatt couldn't blame her.

He walked up the Lifeboat steps and sat down beside her. Lucy said nothing as he gently reached over and closed the journal that she had left open on her lap; he moved it away and left it on the step behind them. Lucy simply stared ahead into the bunker, overwhelmed by her pain.

But then Lucy began to speak in a low, empty voice; 'I don't know what me and Flynn were, or what we would have been. I don't know if what was written in the journal would have turned out to be true. But…despite everything he's done, I…I really cared about him. He was my friend.' She swallowed loudly. 'And I miss him.'

Wyatt nodded, listening deeply as he began to rub her back soothingly. 'I know,' he murmured.

She looked round at him. 'I'm sorry about Jessica, Wyatt,' she said quietly.

Wyatt smiled sadly. 'I'm sorry about Flynn,' he said in a gentle voice.

Lucy nodded, and, as her eyes welled up, she rested her head on Wyatt's shoulder and leaned against him. Wyatt stroked her hair as she cried. They had been through a rough week, perhaps the most emotionally damaging week of their lives, but at least they had one thing that remained a constant, a touchstone in this terrifying nightmare that had become their reality – they had each other.


	41. The Helicopter Ride

**This chapter covers the last part of episode 2x11 :)**

* * *

Lucy wasn't sure how long she had been stood in the doorway to Flynn's room – ten minutes? Thirty? An hour? The room felt darker and dingier than all the times she had visited it before to drink and vent her frustrations to her friend. It made her feel hollow inside.

'Lucy,' Agent Christopher said gently, and Lucy jumped; she hadn't heard her approach from down the corridor. 'Are you all right?'

'I will be,' Lucy murmured. 'Thank you.'

'I had no idea Flynn meant so much to you,' Agent Christopher said, sounding almost confused. 'I'm…I'm sorry.'

A short silence followed, during which Lucy subtly wiped away a tear.

Lucy then cleared her throat, trying to pull herself together. 'Um, actually…Agent Christopher, I just wondered, do you know where my, uh, toiletries are?' she asked. 'Only, I looked in my room and all my stuff wasn't there and I couldn't find them in the bathroom either. I don't mind if you've been moving things or looking through them for security checks or anything…I just wanted to clean up, and put some new band-aids on, y'know…'

'I haven't moved anything,' Agent Christopher replied. 'Have you asked Wyatt?'

Lucy frowned. 'Wyatt?'

'Well, he could have mixed some of your stuff up with his, right?'

'H-how?' Lucy asked, dumbfounded.

She watched as the realisation hit Agent Christopher.

'You and Wyatt aren't…?'

'No, we're not,' Lucy said firmly, blushing. 'Not in our timeline.'

Agent Christopher looked horrified. 'This is too much for my head to handle…all these different timelines…'

'Me too,' Lucy admitted, and then she was struck by a thought. 'Um…do you have a pen and paper anywhere?'

'Sure, in the kitchen.'

Lucy took one last look inside Flynn's room before closing the door.

She and Agent Christopher then left to sit together on one of the sofas near the kitchen, a notepad and pen poised on Lucy's lap as she drew two lines on the paper, the top of which was slightly skewered, and began to annotate them.

'This here is the first timeline. The original one – you recruit us, we chase after Flynn, Jessica has been dead for a few years,' Lucy explained, indicating the first line she had drawn. 'We go to Hollywood, Wyatt and I get together while we're there, and we come back only we come back to…this second timeline, where Rittenhouse have raised Jessica and stopped her from getting killed. In this second timeline, all you, Mason, and Jiya have known is Wyatt as some drunk guy with an estranged wife, whereas from our perspective, he's totally different and his relationships with us are totally different. But obviously, as far as Wyatt's concerned, his wife has been brought back from the dead and it's a miracle, so…he reconciles with Jessica, and I…I start hanging out with Flynn. Then we later find out that Jessica is Rittenhouse, and she kidnaps Jiya, who ends up spending three years in the past – we all go to Chinatown to save her and Rufus is shot dead. Then we go to Coloma to stop a sleeper agent, but Flynn goes back to the past – still in this second timeline – and takes Jessica out.

'This then…changes everything so that when we came back earlier today, we've come back to…an alternate version of the first timeline. Timeline 1.2, I guess,' Lucy went on, drawing an additional line onto the first line. 'As far as you, Mason and Rufus are concerned, everything you've experienced from the moment we got back from Hollywood months ago…that's all different to what the rest of us have lived through. You've stayed on this continuous line, in the first timeline. There was no Jessica, and so as a result Rufus never got killed. But we…we've gone back and forth between both timelines. The Lucy, Wyatt and Jiya you've known for the past few months are not the same people that we are now, the ones who came back from Coloma today. We've lived through different things, in this second screwed-up timeline for a…a long period. Jiya is three years older and even tougher than she already was. Wyatt and I have been completely broken by betrayal and heartbreak and…death. I guess in the first timeline, the one you've been living…Flynn and I…didn't get as close or something because…Wyatt and I were…a thing, I guess.'

'A thing?' Agent Christopher said, raising her eyebrows. 'It was a whole lot more than that. Only yesterday you two were-'

'I don't want to hear it,' Lucy interrupted at once, closing her eyes, and she sighed. 'I'm sorry, with respect, I just…I'm not ready to hear any of that. It'll just make me bitter about what could have been if Rittenhouse hadn't…I wish I could be the happy Lucy you've known for the past few months, but I can't. Not now…probably not for a while.'

'I understand. Barely, but I…I think I do,' Agent Christopher said quietly, and she tilted her head at Lucy. 'I'm sorry that you've suffered so much, Lucy. I hope that…the version of me you've known in this second timeline…I hope she was there for you.'

Lucy smiled. 'She was.'

'So…what now?' Agent Christopher asked.

'We honour Flynn's memory. We find a way to stop Rittenhouse – for good, this time,' Lucy said determinedly.

Agent Christopher smiled proudly at her. 'I like your thinking. But first…before we tackle any of that, you need to rest.'

Lucy didn't argue; she knew there was no point, not when she was so exhausted and bruised and in mourning.

'So, err…all my stuff is…-'

'In your and Wyatt's room, yeah,' Agent Christopher replied, and she frowned. 'Was that…Wyatt and Jessica's room before? In the second timeline?'

'Yeah,' Lucy said, and Agent Christopher grimaced; Lucy rolled her eyes as she began to walk away. 'I know – 'awkward' doesn't even begin to cover it.'

When Lucy tentatively arrived at Wyatt's room, she found Wyatt packing away his clothes and various belongings in his travel bag. She glanced briefly around the room as she leant against the doorway; nothing much had changed…the two beds were still pushed together as they had been before in the previous timeline…but nothing of Jessica's remained there. Her bag, clothes, accessories…they had all disappeared. In their place was everything that Lucy owned…at least, everything of hers that they had managed to recover from her mother's house after the explosion at Mason Industries. Wyatt did a double take as he looked up at Lucy, resting against the doorframe. He tried to read her expression but couldn't tell what she was thinking.

Lucy began to scratch her chin awkwardly. 'Agent Christopher said that this is, uh…-'

'-Our room,' Wyatt finished for her.

'Yeah,' Lucy muttered, too nervous and uncomfortable to look at him.

Wyatt stopped packing his things as he watched her carefully. 'I guess with, uh, Jessica gone, we were…-'

'-Together,' Lucy said, a slightly bitter tone to her voice as she attempted a small smile at him.

Wyatt looked down. 'Yeah,' he said, sighing heavily.

Rufus had already explained to Wyatt briefly how, in his timeline, Lucy and Wyatt had become a couple merely days after the events of Hollywood and stayed that way ever since. It made Wyatt ache with longing, wishing he had lived that timeline that was Rufus's reality. It left him feeling rather bitter as he thought of all that he had missed out on, simply by him making the wrong choice…and all because of Rittenhouse.

Wyatt swallowed. 'But I'm gonna sleep on the couch, so-'

'No,' Lucy interrupted firmly, frowning. 'You don't have to do that.'

'I mean, are you sure?' Wyatt said doubtfully, insisting that he do the right, selfless thing from now on. ''Cause I don't mind.'

'Come on, Wyatt, it's fine. There are…two beds,' Lucy said airily, gesturing the beds that had been pushed together.

Wyatt glanced down at both of them. 'Yeah…' he mumbled.

He wasn't sure what was going through her mind as she entered the room and cast him a shifty glance. Was she thinking the same as him? Was she also wondering what would happen tonight if they both tried falling asleep side by side?

'It was…really nice, what you…said about Flynn,' Lucy said, sinking onto the chair in the corner of the room.

It took Wyatt a moment to realise that she meant what he had said during Mason's proposed toast earlier; at the time, he didn't think Lucy had heard.

'Yeah, well…I meant it,' Wyatt said; it was crucial she understood this.

'I know you did,' Lucy said gently.

They gazed at each other for a moment.

'You know, he lied to me about the name of Jessica's killer. 'Cause when you think about it, it was him all along,' Wyatt said, not really knowing how to feel or what to think as this fact registered with him. 'I spent all this time trying to find the person that…ruined my life. I never even _considered_ the fact that he was actually trying to save it.'

All Lucy could do was nod in response. She didn't know what to say…how to make it any less painful for Wyatt, that his wife had been the cause of all this misery and tragedy. She then reached out to open the journal that she had brought into the room with her.

'Flynn told me something else in his letter – about Amy,' she said, taking out the goodbye letter that Flynn had written her.

'What's that?' Wyatt asked, and he moved over so that he was closer, and sat down opposite her.

Lucy sighed, and passed him the letter for him to read. 'He said there might be a way that I could get Amy back, but I can't figure it out.'

As she spoke, Wyatt quickly skimmed through the letter, his pupils dilating slightly as he caught sight of his name:

 _I know with time, you'll forgive Wyatt, because you love him. And deep down, you know he was just trying to do the right thing. I hope you get everything you want in life. I hope you can be happy. And one day, I hope you get to have a family of your own. And I hope you get your sister back…Never give up trying to save the world from Rittenhouse, and then maybe you can save the ones you love._

'Besides,' Lucy went on helplessly, 'Emma already said that there was no way I was ever going to get my sister back again, so-'

'If there's a way to get her back, we're gonna do it, Lucy,' Wyatt said firmly, fixing her with that intense gaze of his.

But Lucy shook her head in earnest. 'Not with Rittenhouse still out there. You heard what Flynn said. We have to stop them, because if we don't, then-'

'We become those people that paid us a visit,' Wyatt said in a low voice, and he glanced up from the letter to Lucy. 'I don't want that. I don't want that for us. We-we didn't look-'

'Happy?' Lucy suggested.

'Yeah.'

Neither of them were sure if by 'happy' they meant 'together'. Did they necessarily equal the same thing?

'Yeah. I noticed that, too,' Lucy murmured grimly.

'I don't want to live in a world where we're not just…Lucy and Wyatt,' Wyatt said, and it stunned them both to hear him finally using his words.

 _Lucy and Wyatt._ It had been a while since she had heard their names together like that. It had been a while since she had thought of the two of them as one sole team. But perhaps this was a good sign for a fresh start.

'But after everything that's happened, how can we un-know what we know?' Lucy asked hopelessly.

Wyatt sat back as he struggled to think of an answer, but before he could do anything more than gaze back into her tear-filled eyes, the familiar dreaded Mothership alarm began to blare loudly across the bunker. Lucy looked down bitterly as Wyatt leapt to his feet and led the way out of the room; so much for getting some rest.

* * *

The Mothership had jumped to North Korea on December the 24th, 1950: the last day of the Hungnam evacuations in the Korean War, just after the Battle of Chosin. As Lucy explained to the assembled team before they boarded the Lifeboat, the Chinese Communist army had descended upon the U.N. troops and forced them to evacuate to the Port of Hungnam, where General Edward Almond helped evacuate 14,000 Korean families desperate to escape the war, via a cargo ship called the USS Meredith Victory. For this reason, this evacuation was called 'The Miracle of Christmas'; they could only dread the lengths that Emma would be willing to go to in order to prevent it. The consequences would be disastrous.

Even though they came prepared for the cold weather with the appropriate outdoor attire, Lucy, Wyatt, Rufus and Jiya were all horrified by just how freezing it was when they stepped outside the Lifeboat and jumped down into the knee-deep snow. Wyatt had heard the stories from his grandpa about how cold it had been here, but he had not been expecting _this_.

'Are you okay?' Wyatt asked Lucy in concern as they trudged through the snow, shivering as they went.

'I-I'm fine,' Lucy replied, trembling violently and hugging herself, trying to keep warm.

While they all debated what Emma could possibly be here for and who of importance might be on the USS Meredith Victory, Wyatt led the way with a map as their guide towards the port. It was only when they came across the tragic results of what appeared to have been a particularly violent skirmish that they all came to a halt. Unconscious and dead bodies lay abandoned on the snowy ground; it gave Lucy an impending sense of doom until they heard the grateful sound of a helicopter flying overhead.

'Must be taking survivors to port,' Wyatt said, as they all looked up at the night sky.

'Hey, everyone all right?' came a shout from nearby.

The team looked up, alert; a man was approaching them through the snow and mist.

'Yeah. We're good!' Wyatt called back.

'Come on – I got the last chopper going to Hungnam,' the man urged, beckoning them forward.

Not left with any better alternative, the team followed the pilot ahead, being careful to avoid stepping on any of the bodies lying around, until they reached his helicopter. Lucy felt an overwhelming surge of relief at the sight of it; hopefully it would be slightly warmer in there. The pilot seemed keen to get going as quickly as possible, so once inside the team were left to secure themselves appropriately into the limited seats squished in the back. Wyatt instantly reached to his side to fasten Lucy in; her fingers were far too pink and numb with cold anyway. After a jolty start, the helicopter was soon in the air. The engines were loud, but not too deafening that they could no longer speak as they travelled.

'How are you doing?' Wyatt asked Lucy, as she closed her eyes and breathed deeply while the helicopter rattled and jolted around.

'Oh, you know,' Lucy said in an uneven voice, rubbing her hands together desperately. 'Just trying to focus on the mission.'

Wyatt raised his eyebrows at her. 'How's that working out for you?'

'Well, it would be a lot easier without you badgering me,' Lucy retorted, and Wyatt smiled.

'Sorry.'

The helicopter jolted in one direction so violently that it made Jiya yelp out in fright; Wyatt steadied Lucy as the movement knocked her slightly. She took a deep breath, wanting to distract herself from this rather scary journey.

'What shall we do first when we get there?' she asked.

'Haven't thought that far ahead yet,' Wyatt admitted.

Lucy seemed strangely amused. 'So we just make it up as we go?' she suggested, and Wyatt looked at her, surprised; it felt almost like they were back on the Hindenburg.

'Sounds about right,' he said, and they smiled at each other.

Next to them, Rufus and Jiya exchanged a look but determinedly kept out of it; after all, they didn't want to intrude on a private moment between their favourite couple.

Wyatt cleared his throat and raised his voice slightly, so that Lucy would definitely be able to hear him. 'Lucy,' he said over the roar of the engine. 'I…I feel like we haven't been able to…speak properly, without being interrupted…and…'

'And you thought a helicopter ride in the middle of the Korean war is the ideal time to remedy that?' Lucy said sceptically.

'Well, perfect timing hasn't exactly been our strong suit, has it?' Wyatt pointed out.

Lucy smirked. 'Touché.'

'Well I…' But then Wyatt broke off and gave a weak chuckle, not knowing how to put it into words…particularly with Rufus, Jiya and the pilot all surrounding them, although hopefully the helicopter's engine would block their conversation out. 'I'm sorry for…springing the whole…that thing on you. You know, the thing I said just before our…future selves arrived. If you remember.'

Lucy pulled a sceptical face at him; did he really think she would easily forget his declaration of love for her?

'Don't worry about it, Wyatt. I figured the reason you said it would be out of guilt, y'know, an in-the-moment kind of deal or something-'

But Wyatt cut over her, horrified. 'No, no that is… _so_ not was it was. I need you to know that. It was…real. I meant it. So much. I'll always…' He looked down and sighed, struggling for words. 'But my point is…what I'm trying to say…it was wrong of me to say that to you when we'd just lost Rufus, and not long after we'd found out about Jessica, it wasn't appropriate and…I know you didn't appreciate it and it was wrong of me to choose such a vulnerable kind of…moment…to just throw that in your face. And…I never wanted to get in the way of you and Flynn, I didn't even realise-'

'Oh, Wyatt, stop. Please,' Lucy interrupted desperately, infuriated. 'I would love if we could…have just _one_ conversation, just me and you…where our lives aren't revolving around petty dramas and messy feelings and…where we can just be normal. Where we can just be 'Lucy and Wyatt' again, before things got complicated…before Bonnie and Clyde, even.'

Wyatt raised his eyebrows at her. 'That seems years ago now. No…pun intended, obviously.'

'I know, it does! I can't imagine where we could begin if we were to try and go back to how we were then, but…I want to try and start over. I want to put all this crap behind us and try and move forward, Wyatt,' Lucy said, raising her voice slightly as the engine of the helicopter got louder. 'But I need time for that, and I need to think and to heal and…and to do that, I need you to stop being this…this person that I wanted you to be when Jessica was in the picture. I need you to stop with all the…that thing with you do with your eyes…and your smile and…and the way you look at me…because…otherwise I can't think straight. And I want to think straight. I don't think either of us are in the right place to…discuss the whole issue of 'us' right now. No matter how we feel.'

There was another jolt of the helicopter; Lucy closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

''We' feel?'

Lucy opened her eyes and smiled at Wyatt's hopeful expression. 'Yeah. 'We'. I just need some time.'

'Yeah. Yeah, of course, I…anything you need,' Wyatt said earnestly, 'as long as…well…it would be great to know if we could…leave the door open. For the future, you know. A different future, to the one we…saw.'

'I'd like that too. But first, what I really need, is for us to talk about something else. _Anything_ else,' Lucy said, laughing. 'No 'us', no Flynn, no Jessica. Just…two friends on another…time-travelling adventure. How does that sound?'

'Sounds good to me. What d'you wanna talk about?' Wyatt asked.

'I have absolutely no idea.'

They both stared laughing, unaware of Rufus and Jiya's smug little smirks beside them.

'Hey, can we get some chocodiles after this?' Rufus then interjected, leaning over. 'Once we're back in 2018, obviously.'

The team smiled at each other.

'Let's do it,' Lucy agreed.

Wyatt then leaned forward and tapped the pilot sat in front on the shoulder. 'Hey, how long till we land?' he asked.

But the pilot didn't answer.

Wyatt frowned and raised his voice, in case the pilot hadn't heard. 'Err, 'scuse me, do you know how long it will be till we arrive at the port?'

'We're not going to the port,' the pilot replied in an unsteady voice.

Lucy glanced at Wyatt, perplexed. 'B-but you said we were going to Hungnam,' she said loudly.

The pilot hesitated. 'I needed you to board the chopper.'

'Wh-what?!' Jiya exclaimed, horrified.

'Hey! HEY!' Wyatt said loudly, forcing the pilot to turn around. 'Where are you taking us?'

The helicopter jolted slightly; the pilot grimaced at them all. 'Emma Whitmore sends her regards. She wanted you to know that,' he said, before turning back to the controls.

'You're _Rittenhouse_?!' Lucy cried, aghast.

Rufus clutched his hands to his head. 'Oh my God, how could we be so _stupid_ -?!'

'I don't know anything about any Rittenhouse,' the pilot insisted, turning back to face them all imploringly as he steered on. 'I'm just doing the job she's paying me to do, it's for my daughter, Margaret, she's got polio and-'

'Whatever Emma has promised you, she's lying! She will kill you the moment she's finished using you and she won't help your daughter!' Lucy said desperately. 'Please, you don't have to do this! Just take us to Hungnam, please, it's important-'

'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry,' the pilot said as he reached into his pocket. 'But she said if you became difficult, I was to-'

Wyatt had already seized the gun from the pilot's hand before he'd even had chance to raise it properly; punching the pilot in the face, Wyatt dived to the front. Lucy and the others screamed out in terror as Wyatt and the pilot fought over the controls, and Lucy felt her stomach turn as the helicopter began to lose height at a very quick rate. As an alarm began to blare out over the roar of the unhealthy-sounding engine, Wyatt continued to try and take over the controls, but in the scuffle that continued to ensure between himself and the treacherous pilot, the control panel got broken. Horrified, Wyatt looked out of the window; they were nearing the ground faster and faster, and the helicopter was emitting smoke from the outside.

They were crashing.

'Wyatt!' Lucy cried.

'I can't fly this thing, it's jammed!' Wyatt yelled back, staring at the control panel helplessly.

Lucy shrieked out as the pilot then reached out to snatch his gun from Wyatt; Wyatt knocked the pilot unconscious with his fist and turned his attention once more to the controls. Everything was damaged; there was no steering this thing now. There was nothing he could do. The pilot had got what he had wanted – or rather, he had succeeded in completing Emma's task for him.

'Everyone hold on!' Wyatt shouted, panicked.

As they plummeted to the ground, Wyatt scrambled to the back of the helicopter. Rufus and Jiya were crying and holding onto each other desperately; Lucy was huddled in the corner of her seat, clutching onto the straps fastening her in and closing her eyes, trying to block out the noise of the exploding engine below. Wyatt instantly wrapped himself around her firmly, shielding her. Lucy held onto him, grateful for the warmth and protective feel of his body.

'Wyatt, I-'

But Wyatt interrupted her gently. 'Shush. It's okay, Lucy, I've got you.'

He kissed the top of her head and held her tightly to him as he watched through the smoke-filled window, ground getting nearer and nearer –

And then all went black.


	42. Lucy's Epiphany

**So sorry for the late post - had a few technical issues with my laptop so was unable to write, but it's been fixed now!**

 **Here's the first part of Episode 2x12 - enjoy! :)**

* * *

It took Lucy a while to come to her senses, and her fingers trembled out of both cold and fright as she struggled to undo her seatbelts, the freezing night air biting at her cheeks. The helicopter had broken in two as they had crashed, and a fire had broken out; the smoke from it filled the wintery air. Amongst the remains of the helicopter strewn across the snowy ground, Lucy could faintly make out the body of the treacherous pilot. He was dead.

'Wyatt? Rufus? Jiya?' Lucy called out desperately, standing up and wobbling slightly.

'Me and Rufus are over here, we're fine!' Jiya replied from nearby. 'Are you okay? Where's Wyatt?'

'I-I'm fine, and I don't kn-…wait, he's here!' Lucy cried out, relieved, as she caught sight of Wyatt.

He was lying unconscious on the ground; by wrapping himself around Lucy to protect her as the helicopter made contact with the ground, he had got himself knocked out in the process. Lucy rushed to his side and knelt down, calling his name.

'Wyatt? Wyatt?' she asked desperately, and then her tear-filled eyes lit up with hope as he began to stir. 'Are you okay?'

Confused and extremely disoriented, Wyatt turned his head and tried to focus on the reassuring sight of Lucy's face. She looked unharmed. He could barely remember what had happened.

'Emma set us up. The pilot – he was working for her,' Lucy reminded him, and with a groan he tried to get to his feet; Lucy stopped him urgently. 'It's okay, it's okay, it's okay. He's dead. You wrestled the controls away from him.'

Holding onto Lucy's arm, Wyatt tried to sit up slightly as he looked around with a frown at the fire and debris from the helicopter surrounding them. 'Still crashed,' he muttered.

'We would have died. You saved us,' Lucy said, still stunned by what had happened.

'Rufus and Jiya…' Wyatt said, grunting as he looked for them desperately.

'They're okay, they're okay, they're okay,' Lucy reassured him.

'Are _you_ okay?' Wyatt asked, concerned.

Lucy nodded, determined not to be too traumatised by what had happened. 'Yeah.'

'All right, come on,' Wyatt said, grabbing Lucy's arms and struggling to his feet.

'Okay,' Lucy said as they both helped each other up, clutching onto each other. 'Ow.'

They cautiously trudged through the snow together to gather intel from the helicopter's radio, and soon found out that the Meredith Victory had sailed yesterday with 14,000 people on board. The Mothership's trip here hadn't been about preventing the 'Miracle of Christmas' after all; Emma had just wanted them all dead and out of her way.

Realising that there was no point in them being here anymore, the team then decided to navigate their way back to the Lifeboat. It was a long, treacherous journey, only made worse by the fact that they weren't completely clear on where they had crashed and hence which direction to go in. The unbearable freezing temperature piercing at them like knives wasn't doing much to improve their predicament either. As dawn slowly began to break, Lucy hurried forward to walk alongside Wyatt, who had promptly decided to take the lead in finding their way back to the Lifeboat.

'How are you doing, how's your head?' she asked him, concerned.

'Well, it feels like it's been trampled by a herd of elephants, but…slowly getting better,' Wyatt replied.

Lucy grimaced. 'Is it all still a bit…foggy? You can't remember being on the helicopter?'

'Only vaguely. Parts of it.'

'Do you…do you remember what we talked about?' Lucy asked tentatively.

'Err…sort of?' Wyatt said doubtfully.

Lucy tilted her head at him.

'Not really,' Wyatt admitted.

'Does, err, 'a fresh start' ring any bells?' Lucy said hopefully.

Wyatt hesitated then looked at her, a smile on his face. 'Actually…yeah it does.'

'Oh. Okay. Good.'

'Why, was there…did you want to talk more, did you want to say something else?' Wyatt asked, watching her carefully as he slowed his walking to match her pace.

'N-no. No. I'm good. I'm…I guess I'm just a bit, err, y'know… _bleurgh_ …after the crash, as well,' Lucy said awkwardly, and Wyatt frowned at her as she began to back away. 'I'll, err…I just need to…talk to Jiya…I'll…yup, see ya…'

Cringing internally, Lucy let Wyatt walk ahead and hung back, where Rufus and Jiya were traipsing behind. Jiya walked over to Lucy's side, taking in her uncomfortable expression.

'You okay?' Jiya asked, confused.

'Yeah, I just needed an excuse not to talk to Wyatt, that's all,' Lucy muttered.

'I'm flattered,' Jiya said, raising her eyebrows. 'Why do you want to avoid him?'

'Because I'm worried I'll…' Lucy began, and she sighed. 'I just don't want to…be tempted to…go back to how things were with us. Before Hollywood. I can't just…forgive and forget so easily.'

Jiya smiled sympathetically at her. 'I know you can't. And he knows that too, he's not an idiot. He hurt you. And you both need time to heal, and move forward…and grieve,' she said gently. 'Don't worry about it, he won't be expecting anything. Not for a long time. That guy's got a hell of a lot of work to do if he's ever gonna get a chance at getting you back.'

Lucy smiled back at her, reassured by Jiya's attitude. She was glad they had become such good friends; she didn't know what she would do without Jiya now. However, Rufus, it later transpired, took a different view to his girlfriends' on the whole matter of 'Lucy and Wyatt'. Of course, though, Lucy had to appreciate the fact that _this_ Rufus did originate from a different timeline that the other three hadn't lived in for the past few months. He hadn't experienced the turmoil and anguish following the breakdown of Lucy and Wyatt's romance. He had only experienced the happy Jessica-less aftermath of Hollywood, in a much happier timeline.

'So, this is weird,' Rufus said later on in the morning as he and Lucy walked along the snowy path together. 'In my timeline, you guys are still a couple.'

Lucy glanced over at Wyatt, who was walking ahead and talking with Jiya. She wished Rufus wouldn't do this.

'You think you'll get back together, or what? Because I'm still totally shipping 'Team Lyatt',' Rufus said hopefully.

Lucy frowned at him, bewildered. 'What? What's that?'

Rufus grinned. 'You guys are like Han and Leia. Uh, Arwen and Aragorn,' he said, but Lucy was just looking more and more confused. 'Bella and Edward?'

Lucy shook her head, utterly perplexed.

Rufus rolled his eyes as they trudged on. 'You guys have obstacles, too.'

'Rufus, it's not like we got into a fight. He was _married_ to someone else, who he thought was dead, who then all of a sudden wasn't dead. So he left me to…be with her,' Lucy explained, her expression empty. 'And…I know that you don't remember that, but it's not something I'm going to forget.'

'Well, apparently, I came back from the dead, so anything's possible.'

'I hear that, but…I don't want to be anyone's second choice,' Lucy said firmly, frowning.

Rufus considered her for a moment, stunned. She really had no idea. She didn't have one inkling of just how much she meant to Wyatt…of how she was his whole world. She was everything to him, and yet she didn't know it.

'When you were kidnapped by your mother, we thought you were dead. We all lost hope. Except for Wyatt,' Rufus said. 'He never gave up on you, he always swore you were out there, he tried to blowtorch his way out of the bunker to find you.'

Lucy looked up at him, astonished. Could that really be true?

'I know there _was_ a Jessica, but he was willing to give her up to find me, and I'll tell you – the guy likes me, but if he had to give _you_ up, I know for a fact I'd still be dead,' Rufus pointed out, and his words stunned Lucy into silence as he raised his eyebrows at her. 'Doesn't sound like a second choice to me.'

Lucy frowned, dazed, as she considered his words while they walked on into the village. The idea that Wyatt would be willing to give up his own wife and yet not willing to give up Lucy seemed very farfetched to her. And yet Rufus seemed insistent. It only made Lucy feel more confused than ever.

As they all tiredly walked on, they soon approached a large group of exhausted-looking people trudging along the path, heading towards Hungnam; the last boats were evacuating today, before the Chinese army reached the port. The thousands of Chinese troops had just crossed the border and would be marching during nightfall; Wyatt was keen for them to keep moving so that they could reach the Lifeboat before the communists did. However, none of them were overly optimistic at the likelihood of them getting back to the Lifeboat successfully, as the chances were that they would at some point come across one of the Chinese troops, and if they did…they would either be imprisoned or beheaded.

Shaking from the bitter cold, the team hurried on and came across a church. Parked near it was a broken-down ambulance van; Rufus managed to convince Wyatt that they should fix up the engine and heater, so that it would be faster for them to reach the Lifeboat.

'All right. Why don't you and Jiya go get warm in the church?' Wyatt said to Lucy.

''Cause we're women and it's 1950?' Lucy asked drily, shivering.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows at her. 'Because you're starting to get frostbite, and you look much prettier with ears.'

'Good point. Let's go,' Lucy said, and she and Jiya hurried off into the church.

Wyatt and Rufus quickly set to work on trying to restore the vans' engine while Lucy and Jiya waited inside in the warm.

'I still can't believe Jessica was alive. Or that I was dead,' Rufus said, dumbfounded, as Wyatt concentrated on his work. 'My memories are completely different from yours after Hollywood.'

Wyatt paused under the hood of the van and looked up at Rufus. He was completely oblivious to what had transpired between the two of them, and what had remained of their fractured friendship. He had a completely alternate version of what had happened these past few months…and a completely different reality of the state of Wyatt and Lucy's relationship. No wonder it was so weird for Rufus to see the two of them being awkward around each other; he only knew them to be a couple who were blissfully in love.

Wyatt knew that he would have given anything for those memories Rufus had to be true…to be the memories and experiences that he and Lucy also shared. But it was not to be. Rittenhouse and Wyatt's own selfish foolishness had made sure of that.

'You know what's crazy? Yesterday, Jiya was a year younger than me. Now she's two years older,' Rufus went on, oblivious to Wyatt's discomfort as he grimaced up at his friend. 'She looks pretty good for her age. Plus, I always had a thing for older women – started in middle school, actually-'

'Rufus…I got to tell you something,' Wyatt interrupted, getting up to his feet; Rufus looked inquisitively at him. 'Jiya being stuck in Chinatown for three years? That was all my fault.'

Rufus shook his head, confused. 'Jiya said it was Jessica's fault, she-'

'Yeah, but it was my fault for trusting Jessica. Even when I-I knew things didn't add up. You even said so yourself,' Wyatt said heavily. 'And…you told me that…you would never forgive me for what happened to her.'

Rufus considered his words for a moment, then got down from the van, frowning at Wyatt. 'Why are you telling me this?' he asked.

There was a pause.

''Cause I'd be lying to you if I didn't,' Wyatt replied.

It was about time he owned up for his mistakes and apologised. Not just to Lucy, but to everyone. Only then could he begin to make amends for what he had put his loved ones through.

It wasn't long after this rather bleak conversation that Wyatt and Rufus managed to fix the engine, and the old ambulance van came to life. And it was then when Rufus said the one thing that Wyatt had been yearning to hear:

'Hey, Wyatt – I forgive you.'

Wyatt's good mood did not last long however, for once they stepped away from the van, they saw the small group of soldiers approaching, rifles held aloft. On instinct, Wyatt immediately ran to the church, where he so dearly hoped Lucy and Jiya were still waiting inside.

'Guys, we-!' Wyatt began loudly when he and Rufus burst in, but on sensing the silent atmosphere inside the cold church, he lowered his voice as he neared Lucy and Jiya. 'We gotta go.'

Lucy knew just from the look in his eyes that he didn't have good news.

'Couple North Korean soldiers heading our way – pretty sure they're not here for Midnight Mass,' Wyatt said impatiently, beckoning them back out towards the door.

But Lucy leapt to her feet in protest. 'Wait, wait, wait!' she said urgently, and she indicated a young pregnant woman stood by the candles. 'We have to take her with us.'

Wyatt was bewildered. 'Is she important to history?'

Lucy tilted her head at him. 'Everybody's important.'

'Lucy…what do you want me to do?' Wyatt asked helplessly; he admired her for how much she cared, he really did, but since when was Lucy willing to risk changing the timeline to save a random civilian?

'We have to take her to Hungnam. She is super pregnant and she put her life on the line for us, no questions asked!' Lucy insisted.

'The Lifeboat is ten miles north, the port is eight miles south – we can't lose that much time!' Wyatt argued back.

'She thinks that her husband and son are coming home,' Lucy said desperately. 'Quick history cliffsnotes – nobody comes home. Even if they survive, she'll be separated from her family _forever_.'

'I'm telling you – we're not gonna make it to the Lifeboat if we go to Hungnam,' Wyatt said warningly.

'I wouldn't be here if my parents didn't get out of Lebanon,' Jiya interjected.

'I got a second chance. Why shouldn't they?' Rufus pointed out.

Wyatt was clearly conflicted. His job was and always had been the team, and the team's safety. He needed to get them all home, _alive_. And Lucy…he couldn't just let her risk her life like this, all for a stranger. He loved her all the more for it, but still, he couldn't endanger her life like that…he couldn't lose her too, not after everything…

But then he turned helplessly to Lucy and her imploring gaze was too much.

'What's the point of saving history if we don't save the people in it?' she said.

Wyatt was amazed; Lucy had once been so strict about preserving historical accuracy, but now she was completely unafraid. She was instead determined to do what she believed should be done, not what was written. She had been through too much to let the history books dictate their actions any longer. Instead, _they_ would decide themselves, of their own free will. And it was this, more than anything, that forced Wyatt to agree.

'Fine. But we need to be quick!' he said urgently.

Rufus and Jiya immediately hurried over to the candles where the woman, Young-Hee, was stood, while Lucy rushed up to Wyatt.

'Thank you, Wyatt,' Lucy whispered, and she clutched his hands tightly in hers, before pulling a face of horror. 'Oh my God, your hands are freezing!'

Without thinking, Wyatt moved his hands quickly up to her cheeks, smirking; she yelped out at the cold feel of his skin, and they both laughed. They got lost in each other's eyes for a moment as Rufus and Jiya guided Young-Hee over to them, but then were distracted by the sounds of shouts from outside – the soldiers were getting closer.

'Let's go! We need to find a back way, move!' Wyatt ordered, and as he led the way hurriedly towards the back of the church, he glanced anxiously at Lucy beside him. 'I hope you're right about this.'

'I don't care if it's right anymore, all I know is we can't just abandon her here,' Lucy said, panting slightly as they looked around worriedly for a back door. 'The Lifeboat has created nothing but disaster since we got in it, but maybe by us being here right now, we can use it for good for once. We can save one person.'

Despite their current predicament as they struggled to find a door to escape, Wyatt couldn't help smiling at her. 'You're so different, you know. From when we first met.'

'We all are. This whole…experience has changed us completely,' Lucy said, shuddering, and they all gasped out in relief as they came across an old rickety door around the corner.

Wyatt immediately bust the door open. 'Not all of it's been…so terrible though, right? We've had some good times. Occasionally,' he said, and he grimaced. ' _Very_ occasionally.'

'Yeah, we have,' Lucy said, flashing him a smile, before taking a step back to wrap her arm around Young-Hee and help her out. 'Come on, guys, we need to keep moving!'

Together, they all sneaked out around the back just as the soldiers entered the church from the front; they hurried fearfully on towards the ambulance van and helped Young-Hee into the back while Wyatt leapt into the drivers' seat. The moment he started the engine, the soldiers came pouring out of the church and began to shoot.

'Everyone, GET DOWN!' Wyatt shouted, as he drove off in a panic, as fast as he could away from the church and the shooting Chinese troops.

Lucy shrieked out in terror as she ducked to the floor, narrowly missing a bullet.

'LUCY?!' Wyatt yelled, his heart racing in horror.

'I'm fine!' Lucy cried back.

Relief washed over Wyatt. 'Everyone else?' he demanded.

'Fine, we're okay! Just get us out of here!' Rufus yelled.

Wyatt didn't need telling twice; slamming his foot on the accelerator, they drove off, Lucy trying her best to comfort an anxious Young-Hee in the back of the van as Wyatt drove them away from the immediate danger.

They soon managed to lose sight of the Chinese troops who had been shooting at them, but it was only a short-lived victory; Wyatt was doubtful they would even make it through the town, let alone reach the port. Lucy, on the other hand, was insistent, despite Young-Hee's protests – Young-Hee had to get on a boat, to catch up with her family. As they drove on to catch up with the remaining evacuees, Lucy found out more about Young-Hee: her eight-year-old son, her occupation as a history teacher…only to be interrupted by Young-Hee's groan of pain as she clutched hold of her large stomach, shortly followed by the sound of the van's broken engine sputtering to a halt. Left with no choice but to walk the rest of the way, the team got out of the ambulance van and made their way towards the port, Lucy keeping her arm wrapped tightly around Young-Hee as she guided her along. It was only when Young-Hee let out another groan of pain and bent over that they were forced to stop.

'Whoa,' Wyatt said in concern, reaching over to hold Young-Hee.

'Oh, God,' Lucy whispered anxiously, and then she gasped in realisation as Young-Hee fell to her knees, groaning. 'Wait. You're not okay, Young-Hee, you're in labour!'

'Should we get her to the ambulance?' Jiya asked, panicked.

'No, it's too late,' Wyatt said, shrugging off his coat, and he beckoned the way over towards a snow-covered barn at the side of dirt road. 'Over here, come on.'

'Okay, oh, my God,' Lucy muttered, horrified, as she helped Young-Hee over while she continued to groan out in agony.

'Set her right here. Right here,' Wyatt said gently, trying to calm Young-Hee as together he and Lucy sat her down against his coat on the side of the road. 'I got you, we got you.'

'Oh, God, oh, God, oh, oh, God!'

'All right, just breathe,' Wyatt said firmly to Young-Hee as he held her steady, and he began to take deep, rhythmic breaths, encouraging Young-Hee to do the same. 'Good job.'

Lucy stared at him in awe. 'You've done this before?!' she asked, dazed; there was something unusually calm and controlled in his manner that stunned her.

Wyatt glanced round at Lucy as Young-Hee continued to groan. 'Remote village in Afghanistan – a woman was in labour for over 22 hours. Tried to get her to a hospital, but it was too late. Healthy baby girl,' he said reassuringly.

Lucy nodded blankly at him. Was there anything this man couldn't do? She blinked rapidly; she couldn't let herself fall for him again. Not that her feelings for him had ever really disappeared, but still. She couldn't let something like this fool her into giving him another chance.

'So you know what you're doing?' Rufus said, bewildered.

'Well, nothing went wrong that time,' Wyatt muttered.

As Young-Hee continued to wheeze, her pain increasing, Lucy began to get to her feet. 'Okay. Well, there's a there's a MASH facility at the port. I can…I can go find a doctor?'

Wyatt looked at her, anguished. He didn't want them to separate. He didn't want to be parted from Lucy's side ever again; he had learnt from their numerous trips that separating from each other when in danger was never a good idea. But they had no choice: Young-Hee was having this baby _now_.

'Fine,' Wyatt said reluctantly, 'but take Rufus with you.'

Lucy almost felt like crying; the selfish part of her had secretly been yearning for him to protest and force her to stay with him. She didn't want to leave him. No matter what he had done, she was still terrified to go on without Wyatt. He meant everything to her.

'Okay,' she said faintly.

'Be careful, all right?' Wyatt said urgently, trying his hardest not to be too over-protective. 'They're shelling the perimeter to keep the Chinese out.'

He wanted so dearly to take Lucy in his arms and give her a hug for good luck, but he couldn't. Besides, Young-Hee needed him right now.

'Come on, let's go!' Lucy said to Rufus, scrambling to her feet; the quicker they got help from the doctor, the quicker they would be able to get back to Wyatt.

'You got this, Young-Hee,' Wyatt said comfortingly to a panting Young-Hee.

Despite the urgent time restraints and sense of terror of their whole situation, Lucy couldn't help but feeling a strange surge of warmth as she and Rufus ran ahead down the road to get help. Seeing Wyatt help Young-Hee like that…to know that he had helped a woman give birth before…

But no. She had to concentrate. She couldn't think of him in that way anymore, it wouldn't be right. Not so soon after everything that had happened with Jessica and Flynn.

The bombs began to detonate in the surrounding areas just as Lucy and Rufus reached the port; they hurried on through the panicked crowds as the ground rumbled beneath them until they found Doctor Hyun Bong-Hak, the hero of this historic evacuation. Over the sound of the distant explosions, Lucy managed to persuade the doctor to follow them to assist the pregnant refugee in labour. Doctor Bong-Hak followed them anxiously as Lucy and Rufus led the way at a run back up the dirt road.

'Around that corner! Up that hill, about a mile away!' Lucy shouted to the doctor as they charged ahead.

She wished Doctor Bong-Hak would quicken his pace; these bombs were getting closer and closer, and she was terrified to be away from Wyatt's side…they needed to get back, so that Young-Hee could have a save delivery, and so that Lucy could stop being so awkward and finally be honest about how she felt…

Lucy felt an overwhelming surge of relief as they rounded the corner and caught sight of the barn far ahead in the distance on the hill…where Wyatt and Jiya and Young-Hee were waiting…where they would soon be reunited… –

And then the bomb detonated.

The ground shook so violently that Lucy almost toppled over. 'Oh! Oh, my God!' she cried, shocked, and her eyes widened in horror as they fixed upon the location of the fiery explosion.

It had hit the barn.

'WYATT!' she cried out in anguish, watching the black billowing cloud of smoke from the bomb rise up into the sky.

'Jiya!' Rufus yelled, and together they sprinted up the road towards the source of the explosion…towards the barn where surely nothing remained…and yet both of them refused to believe it.

In some ways, the run to the barn seemed to take forever, and yet in other ways merely seconds. Lucy felt herself shrinking further and further away into nothing but an empty shell as she refused to think. She couldn't let the reality of what she was seeing sink in. The fire, the smoke, the ground that still rumbled beneath their feet…as they raced up the hill and got closer and closer to the barn, she remained in a state of limbo, where she could see and hear nothing. All she could think of was Wyatt. It was the only thing that kept her placing one foot after the other, despite her out-of-control breathing, despite the painful stitch in her side, despite the risk of the bombs still detonating all around them. There had to be a chance – just one small chance that Wyatt and Jiya and Young-Hee had somehow survived…

 _Oh, God, Wyatt. Please no._

Before she knew it, they had reached the barn.

'WYATT!' Lucy shrieked in agony, charging forwards as tears began to stream down her cheeks.

Her heart stopped. The barn had been hit by the bomb; only half of the decrepit building remained. There was no sign of Wyatt, Jiya of Young-Hee amongst the ruins. They were gone.

'Wyatt!' Lucy sobbed. 'Oh, my God.'

'Artillery fire!' Doctor Bong-Hak said as he hurried after Lucy and Rufus.

'No!' Lucy gasped, clutching her hands to her head as she came to a halt in front of the destroyed barn.

She couldn't breathe. She felt like the world was closing in on her, like everything was spinning and the ground was disappearing beneath her feet and she was falling and there was nothing she could do. Everything was shattering around them and there was no Wyatt to wrap his comforting, protective arms around her. Because he was dead. The bomb had killed him, Jiya and Young-Hee. And it was all Lucy's fault.

'Oh, my God!' Lucy whimpered, and then she let out an almighty blood-curdling scream: 'WYATT!'

Lucy began to sob loudly as she buried her face in her hands. She knew she should never have left his side. She would have rather been killed by that bomb along with him than this. She hadn't even forgiven him, or told him how she felt. Wyatt had died believing that she still resented him for what he had put her through. And not even the Lifeboat would be able to help her prevent this. He was gone.

She straightened up and removed her hands. Lucy had experienced a great deal of losses – particularly within the last few days – and yet none hit greater than this. She wondered if she would ever be able to stop crying, or if she would be able to find the motivation to go with Rufus to find the Lifeboat, without the rest of their team. Without _him_. How could this be? How could this have happened? How could she live in a world without Wyatt Logan?

And then she frowned as she caught sight of the familiar silhouette appearing from around the corner through her tear-filled eyes.

'That was close, huh?' she heard him gently murmur to something he was carrying.

Lucy blinked. She blinked again.

It was Wyatt.

Only it wasn't just Wyatt; he was holding something small wrapped in a blanket. A baby. Lucy's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe it – it was him. It was really him. Wyatt was alive. And then Wyatt looked up and saw her; flooded with relief at the sight of her stood safely before him, he gave Lucy the most spellbinding smile she had ever seen.

He beamed back down at the tiny bundle cradled in his arms. 'It's a girl,' he said triumphantly.

And it was then when Lucy knew. She knew for sure now. She would never be surer of anything, for as long as she lived.

She was irrevocably in love with this man. This flawed yet wonderful man. He was her whole world, and she had thought he was dead…but now she had been given a second chance. They both had. She loved Wyatt, and, if he still stood by the words he had said to her the morning after Rufus's death, he loved her too. And only one thing was certain for Lucy in this very moment – she was not going to wait any longer. She was through with all of that, and she'd had enough with all the stupid reasons and excuses she had been repeatedly telling herself. After everything that had happened – and after what had nearly just happened to Wyatt in the near-miss of the bomb – it was time to finally follow her heart.

No matter what happened now, or what was going to happen in the future (or rather, the past), one thing would always remain constant. She loved him. Plain and simple. And, at the end of the day, whatever tests they would be put through from now on…that was all that really mattered.


	43. At The Altar

**This chapter continues 2x12 (it's quite a small chapter in comparison to my previous ones, but I wanted to devote one chapter solely to that beautiful scene in the church).**

 **The rest will follow on over the next couple of weeks! Enjoy, and thanks again for your kind messages :)**

* * *

Panting, Lucy broke out into nervous laughter as she gazed, relieved, over at Wyatt holding the baby. As Jiya emerged guiding an exhausted-looking Young-Hee, Lucy and Rufus rushed over; Lucy went straight to Wyatt's side.

'Oh, my God!' she gasped in amazement, clutching onto him as she gazed down at the adorable baby wrapped securely in his arms. 'Oh!'

Both of them laughing, Wyatt then walked over to Young-Hee to introduce her to her new baby daughter. The moment he had handed the baby over, Lucy hurried up to him and flung her arms around him in a tight hug. Stunned, Wyatt hesitated for a moment, then with a smile wrapped his arms around her. It had been a long time since they had hugged like this. Too long.

'Are you okay?' Wyatt asked, his head on her shoulder.

'I'm-I'm okay,' Lucy replied breathlessly, releasing her hold of him and leaning away.

Her eyes were still glistening with tears as she looked over him, trying to take in every detail of his face. She could still hardly believe that he had managed to avoid getting hit in the explosion.

Lucy swallowed nervously. 'I was worried that…that bomb-'

'Yeah, me too,' Wyatt murmured. 'I mean, I thought you might have been…caught in it.'

'But neither of us did,' Lucy said brightly, forcing a smile. 'We survived!'

 _For now._ They knew they were both thinking it, but neither of them said it. They couldn't ruin this moment.

'So you, uh, you…delivered that baby,' Lucy said, tucking a lose strand of hair behind her ear.

Wyatt smiled humbly. 'Yeah…guess I did.'

'While there were bombs going off.'

Wyatt looked at her uncertainly.

'You're a pretty impressive guy, Wyatt,' Lucy said, smiling.

But Wyatt merely shrugged. 'I just did what anyone else would have done if they could have.'

'No, you didn't,' Lucy said softly, and she took a step towards him. 'You were…'

'Guys!' Jiya interrupted loudly from a few metres away, looking frustrated. 'We need to get moving – the port, Young-Hee-!'

Lucy grimaced. 'Oh, God, right! Coming!' she called, and, glancing awkwardly at each other, she and Wyatt rushed over to join the rest of the team.

On their way back to the port, Doctor Bong-Hak managed to find a wheelchair for Young-Hee; he pushed her along as she carried her baby, while the team followed behind, still in awe over Wyatts' heroics and their good fortune at not being caught in any of the explosions.

'Wyatt delivered a baby,' Rufus said, dumbfounded.

'In the middle of a war zone,' Jiya said in a dazed voice, and Lucy grinned as she and Wyatt followed from behind. 'Who does that?'

'All right, wasn't a big deal,' Wyatt said to them both, rolling his eyes as they continued to walk along the dirt road.

'What else don't I know about you?' Lucy asked him, a sly smirk on her face; Wyatt did a double-take as he glanced at her, registering the flirtatious tone to her voice, and his lips twitched.

While Rufus tried to find a truck so that they could get to the Lifeboat, Doctor Bong-Hak insisted on putting Young-Hee and her baby onto a boat…only for Young-Hee's husband and young son to come running over from out of the crowds. Delighted, Young-Hee passed her baby into Wyatt's arms as she embraced her son, laughing. Overwhelmed with happiness at the sight of the family reunion, Lucy then glanced over at Wyatt; he was bouncing the crying baby up and down in his arms as he cradled her, shushing her gently.

Lucy smiled, her lips trembling slightly, as she watched him. The sight of him with the baby like that was almost too much. She knew in that moment that she wanted that with him. She wanted a baby and a loving family like Young-Hee's. And she could tell from the look in Wyatt's eyes and he gazed adoringly down in the baby in his arms that he very much wanted that too. It filled her with joy and hope unlike anything she had felt for a _very_ long time.

Wyatt looked up at Lucy as he rocked the baby to the side slightly, trying to comfort her, and was stunned by her expression. He wasn't sure if she was overwhelmed by sudden broodiness or something else entirely, but it made him feel warm inside. A part of him yearned to pass the baby over into Lucy's arms, to see her light up again, to see what it would be like to see Lucy smile down at a newborn in her arms. But before he could act on the impulse, he noticed that Young-Hee's husband had looked up expectantly at him.

Wyatt smiled. 'I think this little treasure belongs to you,' he said, and he gently passed the baby over to her father.

They then bid farewell and wished luck to Young-Hee and her family, but as they watched them head towards the boats, Rufus and Jiya returned to them with bad news – all the trucks in the surrounding area were rigged with explosives. They had no choice but to walk back all those miles to find their way to the Lifeboat…and night would soon be drawing in.

Time passed slowly as the four of them traipsed back up the dirt road, and yet darkness fell all too quickly.

'I'm sorry about this, Wyatt,' Lucy muttered, as the unbearably freezing temperature continued to drop.

Wyatt raised an eyebrow sceptically at her as they walked on. 'What have _you_ got to be sorry about?'

'It's my fault we've got delayed…and now we might not make it back to the Lifeboat in time…before the troops come,' Lucy said heavily.

'Because you wanted to save an innocent pregnant woman and reunite her with her family. Which you did. You saved her life,' Wyatt said encouragingly. 'Even when she wasn't some important historical figure, even when it meant changing the timeline. You went against the values you used to swear by when we first met, and you did what was right. You were amazing.'

His words filled her with butterflies, but she laughed cynically. 'I'm not the one who delivered a baby with bombs going off-'

'Will you let that go already?' Wyatt interrupted, embarrassed.

'Never,' Lucy said, and they exchanged a smirk as they continued to shiver violently while they walked. 'But still. If we hadn't met her in that church, we would probably have nearly reached the Lifeboat by now and we'd have been able to escape-'

'And would you have forgiven yourself for leaving her? Knowing we could have done something to make a difference?' Wyatt pointed out. 'Like you said, there has to be _some_ good that comes out of the Lifeboat.'

Lucy sighed as they trudged on. 'You won't still be saying that if we die tonight-'

'No one's dying tonight,' Wyatt said firmly, and he put a hand on Lucy's shoulder. 'We're going to get out of here, we'll find a way to get past the troops. I promise.'

Lucy nodded shakily. 'Well, even if we don't get killed, we might die of hypothermia at this rate. I'm not sure how much longer we can cope outside, and it's only getting colder.'

'You've got a point there,' Wyatt admitted.

Lucy shuddered as they struggled on. 'What are the signs of frostbite again?'

But then suddenly Wyatt held his arm out to stop Lucy; she froze as she caught sight of the dead body that had been abandoned on the side of the road. Lucy held onto Wyatt's arm as they looked around at the surroundings, alarmed. They had arrived back at the church from earlier, and there appeared to have been some sort of attack – there was bodies everywhere. Wyatt withdrew his gun as he rushed over to examine one of the bodies; the rest of the team followed.

'Who kills a nun?' Rufus muttered, appalled, as they all looked down in horror at the body.

But Wyatt shushed him urgently as the sound of distant gunfire and explosions reached their ears. Wyatt looked around in the direction of the noise, and Lucy's heart sank in dread as she heard the shouts and screams from not too far away.

Wyatt couldn't conceal the panic from his expression very well as he straightened up. 'Communists. We're surrounded,' he said, looking around, and Lucy began to breathe deeply, trying to calm herself. 'Can't outrun 'em, we can't fight 'em. We need to hide – come on.'

Panting, Lucy and the others followed Wyatt at a run towards the church. He opened the creaky front doors and let the other three in first as the explosions and shouting got louder. Overwhelmed with cold, Jiya instantly ran over to light some of the candles.

'Stop,' Wyatt said firmly. 'They'll see us.'

'What if they find us anyway?' Rufus asked.

'Well I fire as many rounds as I have left,' Wyatt said, quickly moving around the church to check that the coast was clear.

'And then?'

Wyatt didn't answer.

Rufus nodded grimly. 'Good talk.'

While Rufus ranted on, Lucy found herself walking, as if in a trance, over to the church altar. It felt very strange, knowing that this could be it. She had been in many life-threatening situations before, but for some reason, this felt more poignant. More final. There was no one around to save the day; they were all here. And they were trapped, with no hope of escape or getting back home to the present. Considering all this, Lucy was quite surprised by how she was taking their predicament. She sank heavily down onto the steps by the altar, staring at her lap as she took off her gloves. It had been the worst week of her life…perhaps it would be a blissful relief, to finally have it end when the Communist troops would inevitably break down the church doors and execute them all.

Keeping an eye on the boarded windows, Wyatt looked around to see Rufus and Jiya sat side-by-side on one of the pews. They were talking softly, and laughing. Even with the explosions going on outside, they were comforted because at least they had each other. Wyatt envied them, and he suspected he wasn't the only one; glancing down at Lucy sat on the step, he could see that she was watching Rufus and Jiya half-fondly, half-longingly as the happy couple shared a loving kiss. Wyatt lowered his eyes sadly…that could have been him and Lucy, if he hadn't behaved like such an idiot over the past few months. If it hadn't been for Jessica. Or rather, Rittenhouse.

Wyatt slowly walked over to Lucy – even if he couldn't be there for her in a way that he wanted to be, he could still be her friend. After everything they had been through, nothing could take that away from them.

He sighed heavily as he sat down beside her. 'What are you thinking about?' he asked softly.

Lucy hesitated before answering. 'Flynn,' she replied, trying to fight back tears, and Wyatt closed his eyes, surprised by how much it hurt to hear her say that. 'The last thing that he said to us before he left to get in the Lifeboat was, "If we all run off to save Rufus, who will save the world?"…If we die tonight-'

'I'm not giving up yet,' Wyatt interrupted, refusing to believe it, and Lucy nodded. 'Guess it's all up to fate.'

Lucy considered his words for a moment, then began to smile.

Wyatt looked at her, bemused. 'What?'

'Just you…talking about fate?' Lucy said cynically, raising her eyebrows in amusement at him.

Wyatt smiled back. 'So you were right.'

'And here you had me convinced that there was no such thing,' Lucy said, fondly remembering their conversation from so long ago now.

'Timing is everything, huh?' Wyatt murmured, gazing at her.

Lucy gazed back at him for a moment then turned away so that he couldn't see the way her eyes had begun to well up. She pressed her lips together desperately to stop herself from crying, and she began to shake her head at how ridiculous their situation was.

She knew then that she had to tell him. Life was so short. They were probably going to be killed tonight, anyway. What did she have to lose?

'After that explosion, I thought you were dead,' Lucy said, her voice almost tearful as she tried to keep it together. 'And for a moment, I saw my…whole life without you. And my world ended, Wyatt.'

Wyatt couldn't take his eyes off her; he wouldn't have believed she had said those words if he hadn't watched her lips form them. And yet why would she say anything like that? After all the pain he had caused her, after everything he had put her through? But he could see in her earnest expression and the nervous movement of her twiddling fingers that she meant it. And it made his heart pound.

Lucy let out a deep breath. 'I just kept thinking about…all this time that we had wasted. Just wasting so much time and…and then all of a sudden, there you were,' she murmured, smiling at him. 'Holding a stranger's baby that you had delivered. And I knew.'

'You knew what?' Wyatt asked quietly, holding onto every word as he gazed back into her tear-filled eyes.

Wyatt was almost afraid to know the answer. Because even though her words and loving expression were making his heart soar and his insides do somersaults, he couldn't help thinking that he didn't deserve any of it.

'I'd fallen in love with you,' Lucy said, smiling adoringly at him, and it was such a relief to say it, to finally stop holding back and tell the truth. 'And nothing that happened or didn't happen or…might happen was ever gonna change it.'

Wyatt was stunned. Biting her lip, Lucy turned slightly so that she was fully facing him; taking her cue, Wyatt turned as well to mirror her, wanting to give her his full attention. He could tell from the way she was practically bursting and her hands twitching that it was taking her everything to say this, and yet she seemed so relieved and happy to be doing so. It made him feel like the luckiest man in the world, and yet he found himself unable to look her properly in the eye. He was still broken by how much he had hurt her – he had seen the evidence of that in her journal – and yet here she was, confessing her love for him, despite everything he had done. He was completely lost for words, but Lucy was patient. She understood. And so she waited until he was ready to bring his eyes back up to hers.

She exhaled, and smiled as he met her gaze. 'I love you, Wyatt Logan,' she said gently.

She should have said it many months ago, but now finally the words were out, and she was taking control. For the first time, she was telling him what she wanted. She was making her own choice, for her own happiness. She was choosing the man she loved. And she had never felt more herself or more happy for doing it.

'I've loved you since the Alamo. Since you…kissed me with Bonnie and Clyde,' Lucy went on, and they both shared a smile as they remembered that night that had changed everything between them. 'Since that night in Hollywood.'

Wyatt's face fell slightly. 'What happened after…' he murmured, pained, and Lucy's eyes flickered down to her lap as his voice broke. 'I wanted to choose you. I just felt like I owed her something.'

Lucy wiped away a tear and sniffled. She understood. She wished he hadn't been such a noble idiot, but she understood. Wyatt hadn't really had much of a choice, and she would undoubtedly had done the same if it had been her in his unbelievably difficult situation. Neither of them could change what had happened in the past – or rather, their memories of a past that no longer existed – but they could try and change the outcome of the future. Their future. By living in the _now_. By finding a way to move forward together.

'I wish I could take it all back,' Wyatt whispered, hating to see her cry.

But Lucy was smiling at him. 'And the crazy part is, Flynn already did,' she pointed out softly. 'And now all that we have between us is a past that only we remember.'

Wyatt looked down and nodded, before gazing back up at her. Her face was so close to his. Her beautiful, precious face.

'So…' he began nervously.

Lucy considered him for a moment, her eyes flickering back and forth between his eyes and lips, overcome with love for this man. 'I don't care about the past anymore. And we might not have a future,' she whispered. 'Maybe all that matters is right now.'

They gazed at each other for a moment, both lost in each others' eyes. Wyatt took in her face, the longing in her eyes, the adoration in her expression…and knew he couldn't fight it any longer. She knew him, better than anyone. And she knew what she wanted. And in that moment he knew that he was going to spend every day of the rest of his life doing everything he could to deserve her love. Because she was everything to him. She was his whole world.

And so Wyatt let himself go, and reached out to cup her face as he closed the distance between them; Lucy leaned in at once and pressed her lips firmly against his. She stroked his cheek as he kissed her back earnestly, and for one blissful moment there was nothing in the world but those two, in each other's arms and in love and vowing in their kiss to never be parted from each other ever again. Even with the sound of the church bell tolling and the approaching gunfire and the loud rumbling getting louder and louder from outside, nothing could break Lucy and Wyatt from their secure little bubble.

At least, not until the loud bang from outside as a bright blue light began to shine in through the cracks in the church front door.

Reluctantly, Lucy and Wyatt broke apart and looked up in alarm at the front doors. The blue light was blinding. Wyatt took Lucy's hand, as he always would from now on, and led the way down the aisle towards the front of the church, his gun held aloft in his other hand. They noticed the gunfire from outside had stopped, though whether this was a good or bad thing was anyone's guess. Rufus and Jiya watched anxiously as Wyatt kissed Lucy on the forehead and urged her to wait hidden behind one of the pews. Holding his gun out, Wyatt approached the front doors; Lucy clasped her hand to her mouth anxiously as she watched him, terrified. He slowly pushed the church door open.

His lips parted in shock and he stepped forward out in the cold night air, unable to believe the sight in front of him.

It was the Mothership.


	44. The End of an Era

**This chapter covers the next part of Episode 2x12. I haven't had much chance to write lately but hopefully the last chapter should be up within the next week or so!**

* * *

Perturbed by Wyatt's silence, Lucy followed him cautiously out of the church and her jaw dropped. Agent Christopher was stood there in the snowy dirt road, the Mothership gleaming proudly behind her. They were saved.

Lucy began to laugh in relief. 'Oh, my God. Oh, my God!' she said, overwhelmed with joy, and she ran over to fling her arms around Agent Christopher. 'I can't believe you're here!'

'I didn't want to have to leave you here to die on Christmas,' Agent Christopher said as she hugged everyone in turn. 'Plus, I wanted to time-travel at least once.'

But Lucy and Wyatt's smiles fell as they noticed the person Agent Christopher had brought along with her. Emma Whitmore stood just a few steps back, a smug look on her face. It took everything in Wyatt not to just fire his gun on her right now – the last time he had seen her, she had shot Rufus dead and beaten Lucy to a pulp. In fact, he almost did shoot her when Emma broke free of her handcuffs and tried to make a run for it to the Mothership.

'Hey!' he snapped, pointing his pistol directly at her head.

'Okay, wait, wait!' Emma said desperately, holding her hands up. 'I can bring Amy back.'

Lucy's heart stopped as she looked hard at Emma, trying to read her expression. 'She's lying,' Lucy said firmly.

'Try me,' Emma said, and Lucy began to walk towards her; Wyatt glanced at Lucy anxiously, worried what she would do. 'I only did it 'cause your mother ordered me to. But I can undo it. Means nothing to me and everything to you.'

Lucy simply stared blankly at Emma, unable to say or do anything.

'The truth is…I admire you, Lucy,' Emma said begrudgingly. 'We would make one hell of a team. Screw the Rittenhouse agenda; we could make history whatever we want.'

Lucy took another step closer towards Emma; Wyatt tightened his hold of his gun as fear surged through him. 'I want all of this to be over,' she said quietly.

'And you want your sister back,' Emma said encouragingly, and Lucy felts tears begin to form in her eyes at the thought of Amy. 'I can make that happen. You just have to trust me.'

Wyatt frowned as Lucy shook her head at Emma. 'I don't,' she whispered, and then she turned roughly to face Wyatt. 'She gets any closer to that ship, shoot her.'

And then there was the sound of a gunshot from out of nowhere; Lucy spun around just in time to see Emma collapse to the ground with a grunt of shock as the Communist soldiers began to emerge from around the corner. Wyatt rushed forward and grabbed hold of Lucy's arms to pull her back, but then his eyes widened as he took in the sight of the soldiers popping up from everywhere; they were surrounded.

'Everybody get to the Mothership!' Wyatt shouted at the team urgently, as the shouting soldiers began to converge on them.

Wyatt and Agent Christopher shot back at the soldiers while the rest of the team scrambled up onto the Mothership, leaving Emma's feebly stirring body lying there on the snowy ground.

'Come on!' Lucy cried, watching Wyatt anxiously as he backed up against the Mothership while the soldiers approached.

She helped pull him and Agent Christopher up; the moment they were safely inside the vessel, Rufus shut the capsule door and within seconds they had disappeared. Lucy sat securely on Wyatt's knee, given that there weren't enough seats on the Mothership; he squeezed her hand and held her comfortingly in his arms as she tried not to cry over the loss of her last chance at getting Amy back. Not that she had believed Emma in the slightest anyway, but still.

'Wait, what about the Lifeboat?' Lucy asked as they juddered around in the Mothership.

'Yeah, we can't just leave it for the Communists to come across-'

'Don't worry. Already got that covered,' Rufus said, and right on cue the Mothership came to a halt. 'Right, we're in the spot where I landed the Lifeboat.'

'Okay, great…so…'

'I guess I'll…pilot it back to 2018?' Jiya offered.

'No way,' Rufus said, frowning. 'I don't want to let you out of my sight, let alone pilot another time machine on your own-'

'I'll do it,' Wyatt said firmly, and Rufus and Jiya stared at him. 'Well you said it was auto-pilot?'

'That's true,' Jiya said. 'It's a simple screen, you just enter in the date and location, follow the instructions…'

'Okay, then…'

'I'm going too,' Lucy said, as both she and Wyatt got up to their feet.

'Lucy, are you sure?' Agent Christopher asked doubtfully.

Lucy reached out and held Wyatt's hand. 'Where Wyatt goes, I go.'

Agent Christopher looked down at the pairs' intertwined hands and loving gaze at each other, and gave them a knowing smile. 'I guess we'll see you back in 2018 then.'

Lucy smiled back. 'See you in 2018.'

Jiya accompanied Lucy and Wyatt to the new Lifeboat, where she gave them a quick run-through of the controls and screen to show them both how it all worked, and then soon left to depart for 2018 in the Mothership with Rufus and Agent Christopher. Lucy didn't even feel slightly nervous about the prospect of her and Wyatt fending for themselves in a separate time-travelling machine without a proper pilot – whatever happened, at least they were together.

'Rufus is gonna get the Mothership home, right?' Lucy said as she and Wyatt took their seats.

'Well, Rufus got us to the Lifeboat, didn't he?' Wyatt said bracingly.

Lucy glanced at him as she struggled with her seatbelts. 'Maybe our future selves came back to save Rufus so that he could save us all.'

'Yeah, or maybe…'

'Maybe what?' Lucy asked at once, intrigued.

Wyatt hesitated. 'Maybe they wanted things to turn out differently for us than it did them,' he said heavily; he was still somewhat haunted by the memory of the frosty, tense atmosphere between their future selves.

Lucy smiled hopefully, and then began to laugh as, with a sly smirk, Wyatt leant down to help her buckle up her seatbelts.

'You know, I think I can handle this by now,' Lucy said, smirking back, though she wasn't complaining.

It made her heart skip a beat just for him to be doing this. It reminded her of simpler times, back when she had just had a crush on him, when they had first started out on this terrifying time-travelling expedition.

'Oh, it's no problem at all,' Wyatt said slyly, and he wiggled his eyebrows at her, 'ma'am.'

Lucy's nostrils flared. 'Don't you call me "ma'am",' she said in fake anger, and they both smiled.

Once he'd buckled her in, Wyatt leaned away slightly and sighed as he gazed at her. She'd taken her hair out of its messy bun; she looked even more beautiful with it down. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have this wonderful, intelligent, compassionate woman in his life…who still wanted to be in his, despite everything. He was in awe of her. He wanted so dearly to plan their future life together. And yet they couldn't do that, not just yet. There was something else that needed taking care of.

'What?' Lucy asked, concerned.

He put his hands gently on her knees. 'We can try to get Amy back now,' he said determinedly, stroking her with his thumbs. 'We have both time machines.'

'No,' Lucy said softly, placing her hands over his.

'Yeah, but the stuff in the journal-' Wyatt said hopefully, but Lucy interrupted him.

'No, Wyatt. I've thought a lot about this. Look at all the awful things that Flynn did in the name of saving his family. Look what happened when you got Jessica back,' Lucy said fearfully, and Wyatt lowered his eyes. 'I mean, I am _so_ thankful that we saved Rufus, but…it cost us Flynn. And if…we're willing to use this machine to get back the things that we've lost, no matter the price, I mean, when will it end? We'd be no better than my mother or Emma.'

Wyatt considered her words for a moment, surprised. He had not been expecting that at all. He'd thought their top priority now would be saving her sister…that had been the goal from the moment they had returned from their very first mission. And yet now it was not to be. Now she was letting go. And even though he understood her reasoning, it broke his heart to see her do it.

They exchanged a nod and then Wyatt removed his hands from hers so that he could strap himself in his own seat. 'You're sure you're okay with that?' he asked sceptically.

'Of course not,' Lucy replied, looking down briefly so that he couldn't see her eyes well up again. 'But…everybody loses someone that they love and no matter how badly they want to, they can't get them back. And in spite of that, they find a way to go on. That's everyone's history.'

Now buckled in, Wyatt took a moment to simply gaze at her, struck by her words. She took his breath away. She always did.

Sighing, Wyatt then swivelled around in his chair to face the control panel. 'All right. Well…Jiya said autopilot, right?'

Lucy cast him a sceptical glance. 'You sure you know what you're doing?' she asked, raising her eyebrows at him, and she chuckled as he pulled a face at her.

Once he'd selected the controls and the engine sprung to life, Wyatt leant back in his seat. 'All right. Looks like we'll be home for Christmas after all,' he said, smiling at her.

He held his hand out; with a smile she took it. She felt both relieved to be returning home, and yet somewhat sad. Now that she had closed the door on trying to get Amy back…and now that Emma was dead…that surely meant that their missions were at an end. This would be their last trip. And once back in 2018, Lucy would finally be able to stop worrying about the past and the future and history…and instead, she would be able to allow herself to grieve for three very important people in her life: Amy, her mother, and Flynn. It would be hard, but she needed to let herself finally mourn. And at least she had Wyatt by her side. She had a feeling that he would never leave it, from now on. He would always be there. And it was this comforting thought that Lucy focussed on as the Lifeboat set off, Wyatt's warm hand squeezing hers as they travelled back to the present.

* * *

The Mothership landed in the bunker merely seconds after Lucy and Wyatt did; they all piled out, laughing deliriously, just as Mason appeared. Once updating Mason on Agent Christopher's heroic rescue of them all, as well as Emma's unintentional death and hence their final defeat of Rittenhouse, the team then went their separate ways to their bedrooms so that they could get some rest before celebrating on Christmas morning tomorrow.

Lucy was exhausted and emotionally drained after their trip to North Korea, and yet for some reason she didn't feel in any way ready to go to sleep – she felt too giddy after the way they had avoided being killed…not to mention her excitement about being in Wyatt's bedroom. Or rather, _their_ bedroom – her belongings were all in here, due to the alternate timeline, after all. After showering and freshening up, Lucy discarded her military cold-weather gear, and got dressed into something more comfortable before returning to the bedroom and flopping on the bed. While Wyatt took his turn in the bathroom, Lucy spent twenty minutes researching the North Korean war and the evacuees…after a thorough search, she eventually found Young-Hee.

'Hey, listen to this,' Lucy said eagerly from the bed when Wyatt returned from the bathroom.

'Yep,' Wyatt said, shutting the bedroom door firmly.

'Young-Hee died in 2007; she lived well into her 80s. Tae Woo's a retired investment banker in Seoul,' Lucy said, reading out information from the article on her phone while Wyatt sat down and took off his shoes, grinning at how happy she was. 'Their daughter is a teacher, just like their mother. Two kids.'

Wyatt smiled warmly at her. 'Wow. Sounds like a crazy, ordinary…wonderful life,' he said longingly. It was a life he wanted with her.

'Thanks to you,' Lucy said.

'No,' Wyatt said, getting to his feet and walking over to the bed; Lucy immediately moved over to the foot of the bed and knelt up so that they were on the same eye level. 'That was your call.'

He moved closer to her and wound his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him. The warmth of his touch made Lucy's heart soar.

'You're the one that said everyone's important,' Wyatt murmured in admiration.

'Maybe not to history, but everybody's important to someone, I think,' she said, and he chuckled as they leaned in to kiss…but then Lucy noticed the suspicious plant dangling from the ceiling directly above them. 'Careful.'

They both laughed as they looked up at the mistletoe hanging there over the foot of the bed, a luscious red ribbon attached to it.

'How'd that get there?' Wyatt asked, bemused.

Lucy chuckled. 'Apparently Agent Christopher has a dirtier mind than we thought,' she said, stroking his arms.

'Well - I mean, it is a custom,' Wyatt said playfully, his gaze flickering to her lips.

'Hmm,' Lucy agreed.

'All right?' Wyatt murmured, and he brought her lips to his as they laughed.

Lucy wrapped her arm around his neck while they kissed and brought her other hand to his cheek. She couldn't get enough of him. She couldn't believe that this was even happening…that she was finally letting herself be _happy_. She felt like a giddy teenager.

Wyatt bit her bottom lip as she broke apart from the kiss, teasing him; he smirked hungrily at her. 'That's the first time we've done that in the present,' she murmured, and then she frowned, confused. 'I mean, our present. I mean…2018.'

'Hmm. Well, it's gonna be 2019 soon…' Wyatt murmured, overwhelmed by how much he wanted and loved this woman who was wrapped in his arms and gazing adoringly at him.

'True…'

'So, maybe we should…' Wyatt began suggestively, smirking.

Lucy smiled back at him, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest. 'Make up for lost time?' she finished for him, and they smiled warmly at each other as they kissed again.

Wyatt gently leant her down onto the bed and cupped her face as she wrapped her arms and legs around him, kissing him tenderly. Both of them relished the feeling of each other's arms and touch and lips. It was magical, and neither of them wanted it to end. In some ways, when they made love that night, it was almost better than their first time in Hollywood. Perhaps that was because this time they knew that _this was it_. It was Lucy and Wyatt together forever now. With nothing to get in their way.

When dawn finally broke the next morning, Lucy and Wyatt were already awake; they were lying comfortably under the duvet, naked and warm in each others' arms. Wyatt had his arm around Lucy's shoulder and his hand over hers while she stroked his bare chest. They looked at each other tenderly, drinking in the sight of each other. This felt so real. So right. So meant to be.

'Merry Christmas,' Lucy whispered, and Wyatt kissed her lips lovingly as he stroked her shoulder.

She smiled as she leaned her head back on his chest. She wished they could just stay like this, lying next to each other, blissfully content and in love. But they would have plenty of time for that. They would have years and years for that.

'What are you thinking?' Wyatt murmured, as he gazed at their intertwining fingers.

Lucy hesitated. 'If last Christmas someone had said this is where I'd be _this_ Christmas? I'd say they…were insane.'

Wyatt raised his eyebrows, amused, and smiled. 'Regrets?' he murmured.

'A few,' she replied quietly.

After a moments' silence, Wyatt then leant up in bed and turned to face her with one of the most dashing smiles Lucy had ever seen; she smiled back at him bewilderedly. 'I have something for you,' he said.

Lucy frowned at him, stunned. 'What?'

'Yeah,' Wyatt said, and he turned and leant over to pick up his gift that he had left on the floor at the side of the bed.

'You went shopping in the middle of everything?' Lucy asked sceptically.

Wyatt laughed loudly as he retrieved the gift and leant back over. 'Not exactly,' he said, and he handed over a small box with a ribbon on it; Lucy's mouth popped open as she stared at it, touched. 'Go ahead.'

Scoffing, Lucy undid the ribbon and opened the box. Inside seems to be a sparkling silver Christmas bauble; curious, she pulled it out to see that it was an antique Shiny Brite ornament. 'But…where did you get this?' she asked, dazed.

'I…picked it up in 1941 Hollywood,' Wyatt admitted.

Lucy turned to him in disbelief. 'You didn't.'

'Stole it from the props department off the studio lot,' Wyatt went on proudly.

He could remember it vividly; while he and Rufus had waited for Lucy to finish getting ready for Hearst's party at his Beverly Hills mansion, Wyatt had gone on an exploration and found this sweet little ornament, and thought…why not? It would be a token of their trip there. Because he'd known, even before the party, that Hollywood would end up being a special place for him and Lucy to remember.

Lucy smirked at Wyatt, unimpressed.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows at her. 'We steal cars,' he pointed out, and Lucy burst out laughing. 'There's nothing…'

'I love it,' Lucy murmured, smiling softly.

'Yeah?'

'Thank you,' she said.

Unable to take their eyes off each other, they leaned in and kissed. A glorious smile then appeared on Lucy's face as she teasingly leant back on the bed.

'I…' she began tantalisingly, 'did _not_ get you anything…Sorry,' she added with a grimace.

'I have everything I need,' Wyatt murmured, gazing at her.

Perhaps on any other day, Lucy would have teased him for saying something so soppy and cliché. But right now in this moment his words resonated with her, because his face and the look in his eyes said it all – he really meant it. And today was the first day of the rest of their lives together. So Lucy kissed him tenderly, her hands slowly moving up his chest and around his neck, and Wyatt leaned over to kiss and cherish every inch of her, while the Shiny Brite ornament twinkled in the corner of the bed.

* * *

A few hours later found the whole team assembled around the living room of the bunker, which Agent Christopher had lovingly decorated. She was wearing a rather ugly bright-coloured Christmas jumper and Santa hat as she handed out her own hand-made presents – a knitted scarf for everyone.

'This one is for you,' Agent Christopher said, passing Lucy her scarf.

'Mmm,' was all Lucy could say as her eyes widened at the sight of the scarf.

'And there you go.'

'Oh. Wow, you shouldn't have,' Wyatt said, looking at his scarf. 'You-you really, _really_ shouldn't have.'

Pursing her lips, Lucy playfully slapped him with her own scarf as he and Jiya laughed.

'It's the thought that counts,' Jiya said.

'And the thought was what, exactly?' Rufus asked, dumbfounded.

'Hey!' Agent Christopher protested.

'Uh…it's lovely,' Rufus said hastily, eyeing his mustard yellow scarf in horror.

Lucy gazed at them all fondly before picking up her glass of champagne. 'Guys,' she said in a disbelieving tone. 'We did it. We…stopped Rittenhouse. We won.'

Agent Christopher raised her glass, smiling proudly at them all. 'Cheers.'

'Cheers.'

'Flynn would be proud,' Wyatt said, once they had all taken a sip of their drink, and Lucy looked up at him; it meant so much to her to hear Wyatt speak about Flynn without resentment in his voice…in fact, he even seemed to admire him now.

'Yes, he would have,' Lucy murmured, smiling softly at him.

'So, is this our last morning together?' Jiya asked, bewildered. 'You know, as a family.'

'Yep. As of 09.00 hours, you are all free to go,' Agent Christopher said, but then she looked over at Wyatt with a broad smile on her face. 'Except for you. The paperwork came through – you're officially assigned to special projects with me.'

'No one I'd rather report to,' Wyatt said, smiling back.

Proud, Lucy reached out to hold his hand and squeezed it firmly. While Agent Christopher walked over to try and cheer up Mason, Wyatt then pulled Lucy up to her feet.

'Shall we add our own addition to the tree?' he asked.

Lucy smiled. 'I've got it right here.'

The two walked over hand-in-hand to the elaborately-decorated Christmas tree over in the corner of the room. Lucy handed the Shiny Brite ornament to Wyatt, where he hung it carefully on one of the branches.

'Y'know, when the light catches it in a certain way, it sort of looks a bit like the Lifeboat,' Lucy said thoughtfully.

Wyatt smiled. 'Yeah, it does.'

'We should hang it from a tree every Christmas, to remember,' Lucy said fondly, but then she grimaced as she realised that she had just spoken aloud. 'I-I mean, if you want…oh God, sorry, is it too soon to-?'

But Wyatt put his arms on her waist, a tender smile on his face. 'Lucy. I want to spend every Christmas with you,' he murmured, making Lucy's insides tingle in delight. 'So no, it's not too soon.'

Lucy gazed back at him for a moment, then wrapped her arm around his neck and kissed him, before breaking apart so they could re-join their team on the sofas. She knew that she and Wyatt needed to discuss what their plan was – at least for the short-term – but for now, they needed to make the most of all six of them being together for one last time.

After a rather feeble – although thoroughly enjoyable – Christmas lunch, the team then retired to their rooms to pack away all their belongings. It didn't take them long, given that they hadn't had much to begin with when they had first arrived at the bunker. Lucy gave herself a final farewell tour of the bunker before joining the others at the exit; it was satisfying to watch Agent Christopher unlock the door. Once they had all emerged from the ladder and climbed outside onto the deserted bit of land surrounding the hidden bunker, Lucy let out a sigh of relief and she breathed in the crisp wintery 2018 air. They were out. They were _free_.

While they all waited for Agent Christopher's car to come and pick them up, Lucy and Wyatt broke away from the others slightly to talk as they looked out dazedly at the Rittenhouse-free view before them.

'So…what do we do now?' Lucy murmured.

Wyatt gazed at her, a soft smile on his face as he remembered her asking that exact same question not long after they had returned from Hollywood. Only now there was no Mothership to chase after, no Rittenhouse, no threat of Jessica looming in the background. There was only those two. Only Lucy and Wyatt.

'Well, that depends.'

'On where Agent Christopher sends you?'

Wyatt tilted his head at her. 'On what _you_ want.'

'I'm…look, honestly, Wyatt, I'm happy wherever you're assigned,' Lucy insisted, stroking his arm. 'I'll go anywhere with you, you know that.'

'I know. But I don't want that for you,' Wyatt said, shaking his head as he placed his hands on her waist. 'You loved teaching students, being a professor is what you're good at and…it's what you need to do. You had an incredible career before all this, and it's time you got back to that.'

Lucy's eyes lowered as he brushed a lose front strand of her hair back. 'But then…'

'I've already talked about it with Agent Christopher,' Wyatt said, smiling, and his tone made Lucy hopeful. 'I've made it very clear that I don't want my job to dictate… _us_. And she's happy to wait until we're settled, and then she'll assign me posts in the nearest areas. So no long-distance, no moving around.'

Lucy gazed at him, astonished. 'You'd do that for me?'

'I'd do anything for you,' Wyatt murmured, and she squeezed his hands.

'So…when you say 'until we're settled', is that your way of saying you want us to move in together?' Lucy asked, biting her lip excitedly.

Wyatt's cheeks reddened. 'W-well I was going to ask you properly, I just-'

But Lucy had already flung her arms around him in delight, laughing. Wyatt laughed as well as he hugged her tightly back and picked her up slightly, burying his face in her shoulder. Rufus, Jiya, Agent Christopher and Mason watched the couple fondly from nearby, warm smiles on their faces, as Wyatt then put Lucy down and she rested her forehead against his.

'I'm so happy. I never thought I could feel this happy again,' Lucy said, smiling as her eyes began to well up slightly.

'Me neither,' Wyatt murmured, and he cupped her face in his hands, utterly devoted. 'I love you so much.'

The moment Wyatt's lips touched hers, Lucy knew that whatever life threw at them, they would face it at each other's side, always. Not that much would be thrown at them from now on. The chaos and terror of their life-threatening time-travelling missions was now at an end…they could have an ordinary life now. Whatever 'ordinary' actually was. Lucy could hardly register the fact that it was truly over. Well…only a part of it was over for her. Her adventure with Wyatt was only just beginning.


	45. Epilogue: Five Years Later

**Well, this is it! Quite a long chapter, but I wanted to intersperse the epilogue shown at the end of the Timeless finale with a few flashbacks of what I imagine could have happened at significant chapters in Lucy and Wyatt's dating life after the events of the Lifeboat etc.**

 **I hope you all enjoy. It's been great fun writing this story, and I'm so grateful to everyone's feedback. Thank you for those of you who have stuck with this 'till the very end despite the ridiculously long word count!**

* * *

 _~ Present Day: December 21, 2023 ~_

The day seemed to race by even quicker than usual. Lucy had secretly hoped that something would crop up at the end of work; an emergency staff meeting before breaking up for the Christmas holidays perhaps, or a student in urgent need of help with an essay. But alas, everything seemed to be going swimmingly at Stanford University – in fact, it had been a particularly triumphant afternoon for Lucy after a successful meeting with her superiors – and so her day ended at normal time, where she could no longer avoid the task that she had been dreading for many months now.

Lucy put on her winter coat and gathered her things before leaving the lecture hall, and was pleasantly surprised to see her friend Jenny, a fellow professor over from the English Literature department, stood by the doorway waiting for her.

'Hey, Lucy, we're going to head to the bar later for some drinks, fancy joining?' Jenny asked.

'Oh, I would, but I'm afraid I'm…away with my husband tonight,' Lucy replied apologetically.

Jenny smiled. 'No problem, maybe next time!'

'Definitely. I hope you all have a nice evening. And Merry Christmas!'

Lucy smiled to herself as she headed out of the department building. _Husband_. Even years later, she still couldn't get over the thrill of using that word. The mere memory of their wedding day still filled her with tingles. The perfect sunny weather as the marquee was set up outside by the stream in that glorious garden…the look on his face as he'd turned to see her walking down the aisle…his perfect vows that still filled her with tears even now…the way he had kissed her and held her face the moment they had been pronounced man and wife…

Lost in nostalgia and happy memories, Lucy walked along the corridor and down the steps; despite their dreaded task for this evening, she was eager to meet her husband, who she knew would already be waiting for her outside. As she frequently did, Lucy found herself thinking back to that day, that oh so perfect day, when he had asked her to be his wife. She could remember it so vividly, as if it had only been yesterday…

* * *

 _~ Spring 2019 ~_

'Y'know, for a sabbatical, I'm not doing half the work I should be doing,' Lucy said, amused, as she gazed out at the stunning view that stretched before them.

Wyatt chuckled as he nuzzled her neck and planted a quick kiss on her cheek. 'You have plenty of time for that. You always write best when you're under pressure for a deadline anyway.'

Lucy rolled her eyes, trying but failing not to smile. They were lying side by side on a picnic blanket in a secluded corner underneath the shade of a tree in the Crystal Springs area of Griffith Park. Not a bad location for a supposed sabbatical.

'This is a new _book_ , Wyatt, it's not just an essay. I still can't believe Agent Christopher gave you all this time off anyway.'

'Four weeks. It's not that long, she's cool with it,' Wyatt said airily, shrugging, and they both laughed.

Lucy tilted her head at him. 'Was she still cool with it when you told her we were going on a Lifeboat-nostalgia tour?'

Wyatt groaned. 'For the last time, that's _not_ what this is,' he said, laughing.

'You've literally taken us to New Jersey, Washington, Las Vegas, San Antonio, Arkansas, New York, Chicago, and Darlington,' Lucy pointed out.

Wyatt hesitated for a moment. 'Well at least I saved the best till last,' he murmured, intertwining his fingers with hers.

Lucy squeezed his hand and smiled as she looked up at the glorious sunset in the Hollywood park. 'Okay. Fair point,' she admitted, and with a smile she leaned over and pressed her lips tenderly to his. 'But still predictable. I mean, there's nothing you could do on this vacation that would surprise me anymore.'

A sly smirk on his face, Wyatt turned to face her and propped himself up on his elbow. 'Oh, really?' he said playfully.

'Hm-hm,' Lucy replied, smirking back.

Wyatt gazed at her for a moment, and then sighed as he reached out to stroke her face. 'I wasn't gonna do this now, but you asked for it,' he said, smiling, and he sat up.

'Do what?' Lucy asked, intrigued, as she began to sit up as well.

'Well…I thought it mattered where and how I did it, but…' Wyatt trailed off as he gazed at Lucy's sun-kissed, dazzlingly happy face, and it took his breath away; he smiled lovingly at her. 'You're the only thing that matters about this, and-'

'About what?' Lucy interrupted, bemused. 'Wyatt, what-?'

'Just…listen to me for a minute, okay?' he said, chuckling at her eagerness as he tried not to let the nerves overwhelm him. 'I don't know how this is gonna come out but…'

'Okay. I'm listening,' Lucy said, calmly and softly, and she took his hands in hers as if to calm him.

Wyatt took a deep breath. 'I don't know what I would do without you, Lucy. I honestly don't. You've made me happier than I've ever felt in my entire life,' he said, with conviction, but Lucy saw the nervous look in his eyes, and she could feel the trembling of his fingers…and she felt her lips part as she realised what was happening. 'You're the most wonderful woman I've ever met, and…I love you. And I always will.'

Lucy's bottom lip was beginning to tremble as she smiled at him. 'Wyatt…are you…are you doing what I think you're doing?' she whispered, trying not to well up.

Wyatt smiled. Very slowly, he reached behind him and took out a small black velvet box from his jacket pocket. Lucy's heart was thumping so loudly, she was surprised he couldn't hear it. Smiling at the overjoyed, teary-eyed look on her face, Wyatt held the box out to her on the centre of his palm, and then delicately flipped it open. Lucy let out a tiny gasp as she gazed down at the enchantingly breathtaking ring that lay in the centre of the small box. It was shiny silver with a sparkling tiny stone in it that was so perfectly carved that it reflected all the colours of the rainbow as it glimmered in the light of the Hollywood sunset. Lucy couldn't take her eyes off the small, triangular-cut diamond gem in the centre as it sparkled and glistened, nearly blinding her eyes with the beauty of it. Taking her eyes off the ring, she looked up to smile radiantly at Wyatt again, giving up on trying to stop her eyes from welling up, and she couldn't believe just how lucky she was to have this perfect man who loved her so much. She knew this would be a moment that she and Wyatt would prolong and treasure for the rest of their lives together.

'I know it may be too soon. And if it is, that's okay, I understand,' Wyatt said earnestly. 'We've only been together a few months but…they've been the best of my life-'

'Mine too,' Lucy interjected, smiling, and a tear fell down her cheek as she saw the look of relief on Wyatt's face, and they both laughed softly.

'Okay, good. That's good,' Wyatt murmured, and he exhaled deeply. 'And…it feels like we've been together since the day I met you. I know we went through some major…shit…when we were living in the bunker, but…all that's behind us now, in the past. No pun intended.'

Lucy laughed, wiping away another tear as his fingers stroked hers.

'And…all I know is that I love you with everything in me and that I want to be with you for the rest of my life and…raise a family and…build a life together,' Wyatt went on, and Lucy felt her racing heart soar. 'You're smart, you're kind, you're beautiful, you make me laugh every day. You're incredible. I don't know if I deserve you, and I don't know what miracle has brought you into my life, but you've saved me countless times and…you've made me feel things I didn't know were even possible.'

His words left Lucy utterly speechless, but then Wyatt grimaced.

'And…I've just realised that I should be down on one knee for this and this is wrong and-'

'No, Wyatt,' Lucy said at once, cutting over his awkward rambling, and she stroked his cheek; he took her hand and kissed it as she smiled warmly at him. 'It's perfect. Go on, please.'

Wyatt gave a shaky breath, his eyes watering with emotion as he smiled at her. 'You're my whole world, Lucy. Will you marry me?' he asked breathlessly, and Lucy smiled lovingly back at him, completely dazed.

Lucy wanted to make a speech or something, to say something back to him that was equally as touching, moving and emotional as he had just said. But, as yet another tiny tear of happiness trickled down her cheek, she thought better of it, so she just stuck with the simple, basic, yet ever so true word.

'Yes!' Lucy breathed excitedly, and a delighted laugh escaped her mouth as Wyatt beamed at her. 'Yes, Wyatt, of course! Yes, yes, yes!'

Laughing at how giddy she was, Wyatt then slipped the ring gently onto her finger…the ring that Lucy would now wear forever. Gazing at her with the happiest beam she had ever seen on his face, Wyatt cupped Lucy's face in his hands and kissed her before taking her in his arms. Lucy flung her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder, tears now streaming down their faces as they laughed and kissed. Neither of them had ever been happier…and they both knew that they would have many more days of happiness yet to come.

* * *

 _~ Present Day ~_

Lucy was broken out of her reverie when a few students of hers eagerly approached her while they left the building to discuss today's lecture on Grace Humiston and Alice Paul. Once she had bid them farewell and wished them a happy Christmas, Lucy then walked on towards the campus park, where a warm smile instantly fell on her face at the sight of the two little girls running around by the play area, chasing their father. Their long dark hair and dainty facial features gave them away as identical twins, but aside from that, Amy and Flynn were very individual spirits. They were dear friends and loved each other's company, but always insisted that they dress differently – like today, for example: Amy in her pink T-shirt, skirt and favourite denim jacket, and Flynn in her burgundy dungaree and white turtle-neck. Just the sight of them flooded Lucy with warmth as she watched them fling themselves into their father's waiting arms.

'Oh, no, no, no! Oh, no!' Wyatt cried playfully, as Amy and Flynn giggled, and he groaned. 'Oh, it's back to basic training for me.'

Lucy laughed fondly as she watched them; Flynn looked around at the sound and her face broke out in a delighted smile.

'Mommy!' Flynn cried, and she and Amy ran up to her.

'Hello, hello, hello!' Lucy greeted enthusiastically, bending down and taking both her daughters in her arms. 'What are you torturing Daddy with this time, huh?'

'Boot camp!' Flynn and Amy replied, holding onto their mother as she walked over to Wyatt.

'Boot camp? Well, I hope you didn't go too easy on him,' Lucy said playfully, leaning over to kiss Wyatt.

The two adorable girls giggled and squealed as Lucy put them down on the ground, and the pair instantly ran off to play some more. Laughing, Lucy turned to face Wyatt, who was still grinning; he looked slightly exhausted – he always did when he'd spent a whole day with the girls – but overwhelmingly happy. Wyatt took in the sight of Lucy…her long dark hair cascading down her shoulders in luscious curls, her perfect face, her lovestruck eyes, her delightful smile…he still couldn't believe he was lucky enough to call this wonderful, beautiful woman his wife and the mother of his beloved children.

Pressing her lips together, Lucy walked closer to him so that they were merely inches apart. 'Guess what?'

'What?' Wyatt murmured lovingly.

Lucy wiggled her eyebrows at him. 'I got tenure.'

Wyatt stared at her for a moment, his eyes wide, then wound his arms around her waist and picked her up triumphantly; Lucy laughed gleefully as he spun her around, holding onto her tightly with a huge beam on his face before pressing his lips tenderly against hers. He then gently put her down on her feet and cupped her cheek with his hand.

'I am so proud of you,' he said softly.

Lucy gazed at him, overwhelmed with adoration. 'Thank you,' she whispered, and she leaned in to kiss him again.

Wyatt smiled at her, and then looked around for their daughters. 'Flynn, Amy – you ready to go?' he called to them.

'Come on!' Amy said, whooping as the two ran back over to their parents.

'Come over here. Give me your hand,' Wyatt said, and the happy family soon set off towards the car, hand-in-hand. 'All right. You ready for this?'

Lucy's smile faded slightly as she tilted her head. 'Ready as I'll ever be,' she replied, tightening her hold around his waist as the four of them left the campus.

The girls remained giddy for the first ten minutes of their journey in the car, but then soon got bored of the toys they had brought with them and began to get impatient to find out their surprise destination.

'Mommy? Daddy? Where are we going?' Amy asked.

'Yeah, why aren't we going home?' Flynn moaned.

'We're going somewhere special tonight. Mommy and Daddy's old home,' Wyatt replied.

'You used to live somewhere _else_?!'

Lucy smiled. 'Yes, we did.'

Amy frowned, confused. 'Why are we going there?'

'Well, kids, your mommy and I have some work to do tonight, it's to do with our old jobs that we had before you guys came along,' Wyatt explained as he drove on.

Flynn groaned. 'What are _we_ going to do?'

Lucy raised her eyebrows. 'Well, you're going to be asleep by the time we're working.'

'No, we're not!' Amy protested.

'Yes, you are,' Lucy said sternly.

'Will you still read us a story?' Flynn asked hopefully.

'Well, we actually have someone at our old home who's going to look after you both while we're working,' Wyatt said, sharing a smile with Lucy.

'Who?'

'Don't get too excited, okay?' Lucy said warily, and she turned around in her seat to grin at her daughters in the backseat. 'It's Aunty Denise.'

'AUNTY DENISE!' Amy cheered, as the two girls squealed excitedly.

'YAY!'

The celebration over the fact that Wyatt's boss was babysitting them tonight seemed to last the entire rest of the journey. Once they eventually arrived at the bunker, it came as a relief to Lucy and Wyatt to find Agent Christopher and an outside guard already there waiting for them. Once pleasantries had been exchanged and Amy and Flynn had got over their excitement, Agent Christopher led their way down into the bunker. Lucy was slightly dumbfounded as they walked down the familiar, grimy corridor; recognising from the dazed look on Lucy's face that she needed a minute to herself, Wyatt took the enthusiastic girls on a quick tour of 'Mommy and Daddy's old home'. Lucy felt her bottom lip tremble slightly as the memories washed over her while she looked around the place she had loathed and yet also somewhat loved so much.

It was five years since they had stepped foot in this place, and yet nothing had changed. Even the Christmas decorations that Agent Christopher had put up around the bunker on their last day here were still there. She walked slowly over to her and Wyatt's room, and smiled fondly as she remembered their first and only night in here, and the morning after…the Shiny Brite ornament he had given her that was hung on their own Christmas tree back at home now. Lucy then went to pay a visit to Flynn's old room, only was surprised – and extremely touched – to see that Agent Christopher had converted it into a guestroom for the girls, with two beds and a few toys for them both to play with.

'Mommy!'

Lucy jumped and turned with a smile to see little Amy and Flynn running up to her gleefully.

'You used to live _here_?!' Flynn said incredulously.

'It's so cool!' Amy said, and Lucy laughed.

'It really is, isn't it?' Lucy said enthusiastically. 'And look what Aunty Denise has done – she's made you both a room!'

'Yay!'

'I love it!'

'Now come on, let's get some food and then you can get ready for bed,' Lucy said, ruffling their hair as the three of them walked down the corridor towards the kitchen.

'Oh, do we have to?' Amy said sadly.

'Yes, it's already late,' Lucy insisted, grinning.

They had bought some takeout on the way to the bunker; once they had all finished eating their dinner, Wyatt then unpacked the girls' bags for them and got them settled in their room. Lucy hung behind anxiously in the kitchen, torn on whether their mission for this evening was a good idea after all.

'I know you're worried about leaving them,' Agent Christopher said softly, and Lucy looked up from the kitchen table that she had been staring at. 'But they'll be in safe hands with me, you know that.'

'I know,' Lucy said softly, taking a sip of water from her glass; her hand shook slightly as she put the glass back on the table.

'And you won't be gone long. You know where you're going. You know what you have to do,' Agent Christopher said reassuringly. 'Won't take you longer than, what, ten minutes?'

'I know. It's just…when we were doing this before, risking our lives everyday going back in time…I didn't really have much to lose then. Things are just so…different now,' Lucy said, staring at Amy and Flynn's empty plates still on the table. 'And I guess…maybe it's just the association of all the grieving and everything in that last week that we were here, but…I'm scared about what could happen.'

Agent Christopher tilted her head at her sympathetically. 'I would seriously judge you if you weren't scared. Going back in that thing after all this time, after all you were put through, it takes real guts to do that. And I so admire you for it.'

'It's not like we have much of a choice though, right?' Lucy said drily.

'Well, I suppose you could look at it that way. But just think once it's done, then…everything's come full circle. You can get closure on this whole business, you can put it all behind you,' Agent Christopher said, trying to sound encouraging.

'I know. Though, in a strange way, I'm not sure if I want to,' Lucy said thoughtfully, frowning. 'I have some good memories of the Lifeboat too, you know.'

Agent Christopher smiled warmly. 'Of course you do. Maybe focus on those memories as an incentive for tonight.'

'Oh-ho, don't you worry, that's what I plan on doing,' Lucy said, laughing.

Wyatt then emerged back in the kitchen; he put his hands on Lucy's shoulders as he stood behind her chair.

'Hey,' he greeted.

'Hey,' she said softly, reaching out to hold his hand.

'Are you ready?' Wyatt asked her. 'We might as well get this show on the road.'

'Yeah, let's do it,' Lucy said heavily as she rose from her chair, but then her face fell. 'Oh, wait…I need to say bye to Amy and Flynn-'

'No you don't. They're playing games right now, Denise will look after them, they won't even realise we're gone for that long – I've already told them we've gone to do our, uh, 'little job',' Wyatt said, smiling reassuringly as he held her by the waist. 'We'll be back before you know it. Besides, you know what will happen if you go to speak to them now. You won't want to go.'

Lucy swallowed nervously. 'I know. You're right, you're right,' she said grudgingly.

Agent Christopher cleared her throat as she got up from the table. 'I'll go and check on how they're doing. I'll give you two a minute and then once Connor arrives, we'll be…good to go?' she said hopefully.

Wyatt nodded gratefully at her. 'Sounds good,' he said, and he turned to face Lucy and kiss her forehead. 'The girls will be fine. And so will we. It's going to be fine. We'll be quick.'

'Otherwise the side effects will kill us and leave our children orphans,' Lucy said without thinking.

Wyatt tensed and stared worriedly at her. 'Wow. Err…Lucy, are you-?'

Lucy closed her eyes and broke free from him, wishing she could calm down. 'I'm sorry, I-I'm fine…I just…I keep remembering when we got stranded when the Lifeboat got damaged, and I can't help thinking what would happen if-'

'It's not going to get damaged, we're not going to get stranded, we're not going to stay there long enough for the side effects,' Wyatt said calmly, stroking her cheek. 'We're just securing our future.'

Lucy raised an eyebrow at him and smirked. 'More like our past and present.'

'Well, that too,' Wyatt said, grinning. 'It's just something we have to do.'

'Something _I_ have to do,' Lucy corrected him. ' _You_ don't have to-'

'Now, Lucy, we've talked about this, you know I'm not letting you go without me. We do this together or not at all, right?' Wyatt said firmly, wrapping his arms around her.

Lucy considered him for a moment and then smiled. 'Together. Always,' she murmured, and they kissed tenderly. 'Thank you, Wyatt.'

'Are you okay, really?' Wyatt asked.

'I'm fine. It's…weirdly nice to be back here,' Lucy murmured. 'I just…I can't bear to leave them.'

'I know, me neither. But we'll be back to them soon,' he said, brushing her hair with his fingers. 'I promise. Come on.'

And so together, the apprehensive couple walked towards the Lifeboat, Lucy's hand shaking slightly in Wyatt's as her thoughts strayed to the two little girls playing in that grimy, old room…completely oblivious to where their parents were about to go…

* * *

 _~ Summer 2019 ~_

'Hey!' Wyatt greeted happily as he came into the dining room. 'How was work?'

'It was great!' Lucy replied, as he leaned over the table to kiss her. 'It was so good. I gave a lecture on Hedy Lamarr.'

Wyatt raised his eyebrows at her, impressed, as he put his things down on one of the chairs. 'A whole lecture?'

'Wyatt, you know I could cover ten lectures' worth of content about her if I was allowed,' Lucy pointed out as she closed her laptop on the table, and they grinned at each other. 'How was your day?'

'Good, thanks. Went over a few reports with Agent Christopher – she says hi, by the way. You looking forward to dinner tonight?' he asked, helping himself to a glass of wine. 'You want one, by the way?'

'Err, no thanks,' Lucy replied, blushing slightly as he raised his eyebrows in surprise, putting away the wine glass that he'd got out for her. 'And yeah, of course! It's been too long since we've seen Rufus and Jiya. We'll have to invite them over here soon.'

'I thought you didn't want to do a housewarming until everything was perfect?' Wyatt said, pointedly eyeing all the cardboard boxes strewn around the room that they still had yet to unpack.

'Everything already is perfect,' Lucy said, positively buzzing as she beamed at him. 'We're pretty much done unpacking anyway.'

Wyatt frowned at her, bemused. 'You're in a particularly good mood today, what's the occasion?'

'Nothing,' Lucy replied, but she was laughing giddily.

'Lucy,' Wyatt said playfully, and he leaned over the table. 'Tell me, what is it?'

'I'm serious, nothing!' she insisted, trying not to smile.

Wyatt tilted his head sceptically at her. 'You know I can read you like a book,' he said in a low, almost seductive voice.

Lucy smirked at him and rolled her eyes. 'Damn it. Okay, fine,' she said in defeat.

'Let me guess – you've bought your wedding dress?' Wyatt asked smugly, taking a sip of wine.

'Not yet, no. I'm doing that with Jiya in two weeks, remember?'

'Ah, yeah…'

'No, err, this is something else,' Lucy said, and she bit her lip. 'Um…you might want to sit down.'

Wyatt gave her a suspicious look and sat down on the chair next to her. 'O-kay…Everything's all right, isn't it?' he asked, concerned.

'Yes!' Lucy said at once, looking like she would almost burst from happiness. 'Oh my God, yes, everything's…incredible. Never been better.'

Wyatt couldn't stop grinning at the look on her face. 'Your jaw must be hurting from all that smiling you're doing.'

Lucy laughed. 'I know, I'm sorry, I can't stop it!'

'No, don't be sorry, I love it. You've got the best smile in the world,' Wyatt said, reaching out to stroke her cheek, and she closed her eyes at his gentle touch. 'Lucy, tell me. What is it?'

Lucy gazed at him. She had felt nervous before he'd come home about telling him, but now it just felt right. It felt _so_ right. And she knew she had nothing to worry about.

'Wyatt, I…I'm pregnant.'

There was a stunned silence.

Eventually, Wyatt was able to form words. 'I-I'm not sure that's…it's not really sinking…could you…say that for me again?' he asked, his lips trembling.

Lucy pressed her lips together, determined not to cry. 'We're having a baby,' she said softly.

Wyatt released a shaky breath, and they both laughed softly. 'Are you sure?' he asked, and his voice broke on the last word.

'Yeah, positive. Nine weeks,' Lucy said, slightly giddily, but she paused and tilted her head at him when she realised he wasn't going to say anything; he looked too stunned to even think, let alone speak. 'Wyatt, are you okay? I know it's sooner than we planned but-'

'No, no, God, no, it's not that at all,' Wyatt said at once, taking her hands in his and squeezing them firmly. 'I just…I can't seem to, uh, register what you're saying, I don't know what the hell's wrong with me, I…'

But Lucy was smiling; she understood. 'Would you like me to say it again?' she asked.

'Yes,' Wyatt said, his eyes welling up. 'Please.'

Lucy opened her mouth to speak but then he interrupted her.

'Wait. Just, err…before you do can we just wait, I…I need a moment,' Wyatt said, breathing deeply. 'I need to remember this. I need to remember how perfect this is right now…with you.'

A tear trickled down Lucy's cheek as she squeezed Wyatt's hands; he simply gazed at her with an adoring smile on her face, stroking her fingers with his own. He felt truly blessed.

'Okay,' he said eventually, recovering himself, and he kissed her hands. 'Go.'

Lucy took a deep breath. 'Wyatt. We're having a baby.'

Wyatt didn't realise that he had started crying until she reached out to cup his face; her hands were wet with his tears. Both of them laughing in joy, he then scrambled off his chair and picked Lucy up in his arms, spinning her around in joy as he gave her the best kiss of her life. Putting her down on the floor, he then pulled her to him in a fierce hug; crying as well, Lucy flung her arms around his neck.

'I can't believe this, this is amazing!' Wyatt cried, laughing as he wiped his eyes.

'I know!' Lucy said enthusiastically. 'I'm so happy you're happy, I was worried that…you'd be freaked out or that maybe we've been rushing this whole thing. I mean, we've been dating less than a year and we haven't even got married yet and…'

But Wyatt was shaking his head. 'Lucy, I could _never_ be freaked out – the way I see it, what's the point in waiting? I already know I want to spend the rest of my life with you and…and our family,' he said, and he lovingly placed a hand over her flat stomach.

'Well I feel the same. No point prolonging the inevitable, right?' Lucy agreed, biting her lip as she smiled up at him.

'No point at all,' Wyatt said softly, and another tear escaped as he gazed into her eyes and held her close to him. 'We're really having a baby.'

'Yeah, we are.'

He rested his forehead against hers and smiled. 'I'm so glad I met you.'

Lucy smiled irresistibly back at him. 'Me too.'

Wyatt had never loved anyone more in this moment as he pressed his lips against hers. She kissed him back longingly, entangling her arms in his hair and with a special glint in her eye she guided him slowly towards the couch. It felt like they were in paradise. They had moved in together, they were engaged, they were pregnant…and they knew that their adventures in the Lifeboat would be nothing compared to the adventures they would soon be about to have with their children.

* * *

 _~ Present Day ~_

The Lifeboat had stayed in the bunker for the past five years, under armed guard. It may have been a risky move not to destroy it, but a necessary one – after all, if someone else somehow built a time machine at some point in the future, the Lifeboat would be needed to stop them. Lucy and Wyatt stood hand-in-hand in the bunker as they stared up at the dreaded time capsule now, the machine that had cost them so much and yet also brought them so much in return. The sight of it made Lucy feel terrified and yet thrilled at the same time.

'Doesn't seem like five years ago,' Wyatt murmured, staring up at the Lifeboat in awe.

'Nope. Sure doesn't,' Lucy replied, breathing deeply, and he squeezed her hand comfortingly. 'Can you believe this was what we did? This was our life? Seems almost like a dream now.'

'I know, it's crazy,' Wyatt murmured, and he glanced at her. 'You good?'

Lucy smiled at him. 'I'm good.'

Agent Christopher then walked up to them from the corridor. 'The twins are in their pyjamas, and they are brushing their teeth,' she said triumphantly.

'They are so excited about their sleepover,' Lucy said, holding Agent Christopher's arm. 'When I told them that Mommy and Daddy used to live here, they didn't believe me.'

Agent Christopher laughed, just as Connor Mason appeared from behind the Lifeboat.

'That's because, like most government-funded housing, it's utterly uninhabitable and always was,' he said, beaming as he hugged Lucy and Wyatt.

'Says the man under federal contract, right?' Agent Christopher said, raising her eyebrows, as they all laughed.

'Well, it turns out I liked, uh, saving the world more than I liked saving money,' Mason said smugly, and Lucy and Wyatt eyed him, half-impressed, half-sceptical.

'So, you ever miss saving the world?' Agent Christopher asked the married couple curiously, and Wyatt chuckled.

'Sometimes,' Lucy said thoughtfully. 'And then I think about North Korea…-'

'French and Indian War-' Wyatt interjected.

'-The Murder Castle, Al Capone trying to kill us…-' Lucy went on.

'-Benedict Arnold-'

'-Confederate slave owners…'

And then Lucy and Wyatt looked at each other. 'Nazis,' they both said simultaneously, their tones heavy.

Agent Christopher smiled at them. 'Ready to do it one more time?'

'We have to, or…all of this could disappear,' Lucy said in a quiet voice.

She glanced at Wyatt. It was something she and Wyatt had been discussing at length for the past couple of months; they were both fearful of what they were about to do, and yet the consequences of what could happen if they didn't do this were even more terrifying. They needed to ensure their past, their story. For their sake, for Amy and Flynn's sake. For the world.

And then Lucy gasped loudly as she caught sight of the two people walking towards them from the bunker corridor.

'Hey! Anybody need a pilot?' Rufus called over to them, grinning.

Lucy laughed happily as she flung her arms around Rufus, while Jiya hugged Wyatt in greeting, all four of them wearing huge beams.

'You didn't tell me he was coming!' Lucy chastised Wyatt, slapping his arm playfully as he hugged his best friend.

'Think we'd let you do it alone?' Wyatt asked her sceptically, and Lucy gazed gratefully back at him, though she was determined not to get in any way teary-eyed or emotional about this.

'Yeah, the three of us started it, so…let's finish it,' Rufus said firmly.

Lucy turned to her husband, and saw the reassuring look in his eyes. She smiled and gave a nervous nod, before leading the way towards the Lifeboat. She'd only made it up the first few steps when she stopped and spun around to face them.

'Okay, but if anything goes wrong-!'

'It won't,' Wyatt interrupted her firmly, and she faltered. 'We get in and we get out. We got this, Lucy.'

She gazed back at him for a moment then turned to Rufus, who tilted his head at her. They were both confident – or, at least, they were both extremely good at hiding their nerves at the prospect of getting back in that infernal machine that had brought them so much pain and danger. A small smile on her face, Lucy then turned and walked up the full length of the steps.

Her lips parted once she had clambered through into the vessel. The tight little space, those complicated seatbelts and harnesses, all the bright control panels, the flickering lights, the whirring engine…it was so real. Five years on and yet it only seemed like five minutes since they had last been in this machine. It took Lucy's breath away.

'Good to be back,' Wyatt muttered sarcastically as he followed his wife in.

'Hey, it's not that bad, and remember this one's auto-pilot, and the ride's less bumpy!' Rufus said enthusiastically, jumping into the pilots' seat.

'I still don't get it…shouldn't this Lifeboat have disappeared? Seeming as the timeline it came from never ended up happening?' Lucy asked, confused, as she struggled to remember how to do her seatbelts; with a smile, Wyatt leaned forward to help her.

'Wish I had the answer for that, Lucy, but that might be one for Jiya and Connor,' Rufus muttered, dumbfounded. 'I think it's best if we just roll with it.'

'Fair enough,' Lucy said, and she kissed Wyatt's hands as he finished strapping her into her seat.

'You've definitely got the journal?' Wyatt asked her.

She tilted her head at him. 'You really think I'd forget it? We planned this about a year ago,' she said, and they smirked at each other.

'Just making sure.'

'Right, guys. December the 24th 2014, São Paulo, Brazil,' Rufus said, plotting the coordinates on the display screen. 'Our last ever trip.'

'Don't jinx it,' Lucy and Wyatt said simultaneously, and they grinned at each other.

* * *

When the team walked inside the dark, grimy bar, it didn't take them long to locate their old friend. The broken figure of Garcia Flynn was sat at the bar counter, pouring a glass of whisky from a half-empty bottle. The murder of his family was still so raw to him. It made Lucy shudder.

'Go on,' Wyatt said to Lucy gently, his hand on her shoulder. 'It's okay.'

But Lucy turned around anxiously to face him. 'I can't do this.'

'Yes, you can,' he said reassuringly.

'Look at him,' Lucy said in torment, indicating the pitiful, drunken grieving man sat not too far away from them. 'He's…he's completely…I can't lie to him about what happens-'

'So don't,' Wyatt said, and Lucy faltered. 'Be honest with him. Then you're doing it in good conscience.'

'What if it doesn't work?' she asked hopelessly.

'It will, we know it will-'

Lucy was shaking her head earnestly at him. 'But I don't know what I'm meant to say. It could change things, whatever I decide, we could come back to a completely different timeline, you know how easily they changed before, and Amy and Flynn might never even-'

'The timeline _won't_ change, Lucy. You just need to…say what you feel in the moment. You say what you feel in your heart. And it'll all fall into place,' Wyatt said firmly, his hands on her arms, his gaze tender and comforting.

Lucy frowned at him. 'How do you know that?'

'Because I have faith.'

'What, faith that it'll all just miraculously work out?' she said incredulously.

'No,' Wyatt said, smiling warmly at her, and he cupped her cheek. 'Faith in you.'

Lucy gazed at him for a moment, overwhelmingly grateful that she had such a wonderful man in her life, and then kissed his lips briefly before turning to face the task she had been dreading for so long.

'Okay,' she said, taking a deep breath.

'You've got this. We'll be just here,' Wyatt reassured her.

Lucy turned and slowly made her way over to the bar. It felt so cruel, what she was about to do. But she had no choice. She had to secure their present...their family. She smiled sadly as she watched Flynn take another deep swig of whisky. Close to, he looked unkempt and dishevelled. And empty. She turned back; Wyatt and Rufus had settled on a table not far away from the bar. Wyatt gave her a reassuring nod, encouraging her to go on.

Lucy approached Flynn tentatively. 'Is this seat taken?' she asked politely.

'Eu nao falo English,' the grieving man grumbled without looking at her.

Lucy nevertheless sat down on the stool beside him. 'I know you speak English, Flynn,' she said.

Flynn slowly looked up at her, afraid.

'Don't worry, I'm a friend. I mean, I will be a friend,' Lucy corrected herself.

'What do you want?' Flynn asked, uninterested.

'I don't have a lot of time,' Lucy said in a hushed voice. 'I know about Rittenhouse. I know what they did to your family – your wife, Lorena, your daughter, Iris-'

Flynn's eyes had widened in horror. 'Who are you?' he demanded, leaning towards her.

'Shh!' Lucy said urgently. 'My name is Lucy Preston. I'm from the year 2023, and I know this is going to sound crazy, but…someday you and I are going to work together.'

Flynn's lips trembled as he took in what she was saying. 'My God. The time machine! Connor Mason actually built it?!' he said incredulously, trying hard to keep his voice down. 'I knew it!'

'You were right. You were right about everything. More than you will ever know,' Lucy said softly. 'But you…'

Lucy then paused as a sudden ringing started in her ear. She winced and tilted her head that had now suddenly begun to pound. Wyatt, who had been keeping a close eye on her from the table, frowned as he watched her struggle with the pain; the side effects had already started. She didn't have much time. Lucy groaned, and then sighed as she continued speaking to Flynn.

'Okay, look. You are going to have to sacrifice everything for a cause that almost no one will believe in. The world will think that you're a terrorist and a traitor,' she said, and Flynn shook his head in protest and disbelief. 'Even I'm going to think that at first.'

Flynn raised his eyebrows sceptically at her. 'Wha-what?'

'Wait, listen to me. But you aren't any of those things,' Lucy said firmly. 'And you're going to think that you lost your humanity, but you didn't, and you never will.'

'What about my family?' Flynn asked, and his tone and expression completely caught Lucy off-guard; she felt her heart break as she knew she was left with no choice but to tell the truth.

She shook her head helplessly as the tears welled up in her eyes. 'You won't get them back. I'm sorry,' she whispered, her voice breaking as she imagined herself in Flynn's position…if Wyatt and their daughters had been killed…the thought of it destroyed her.

Flynn simply stared at her, a broken man, clinging onto every word that this mysterious woman was saying.

'You're a hero, I promise. Maybe the greatest hero of us all,' Lucy said tearfully, her tone earnest as she gazed into the poor mans' empty, defeated eyes. 'But you're going to need my help, okay? So-'

But then she broke off again as the ringing pain in her head resurfaced, only this time stronger and much more agonizing. 'Oh, God,' she whispered, closing her eyes as she clutched her head with her hand.

Wyatt turned to the edge of his seat, ready to leap to his feet to get Lucy out of there, but saw that his presence wasn't needed just yet; Flynn seemed to be comforting Lucy, and in that moment Wyatt was overcome with fondness and sorrow for the man. He had deserved so much better.

'Hey, you okay?' Flynn asked her, concerned as he reached out.

Her cheeks streaked with tears, Lucy shook her head, trying to free herself of the pain, before reaching into her bag and pulling out the journal. 'Here, take this,' she said, passing it into his hands and gazing firmly at him. 'You are going to save history.'

Without thinking, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek; Flynn stared at her, stunned, as she gave him one last hopeful smile. And then she turned and left. Flynn watched her go as she joined two men sat in the corner, and the three of them walked out of the door; Lucy looked back briefly before closing the door.

'How'd it go?' Rufus asked urgently as they hurried back to the Lifeboat.

'We don't have time for that, we need to hurry!' Wyatt said urgently, guiding Lucy on as she moaned in agony and clutched her head.

The ringing soon begun in Wyatt's head as well as they ran on, but luckily they managed to reach the Lifeboat in time.

'Get us out of here!' Wyatt said to Rufus sharply once they were all strapped in, groaning as the pain and dizziness in his head took over.

'Wyatt!' Lucy cried. 'Are you okay?'

'I'm-I'm fine,' he lied, wincing as the ringing in his head persisted; he held tightly onto Lucy's hands. 'You?'

'Yeah…just…it just hurts,' Lucy muttered.

'Same with me. But it'll stop any second now. And we'll be home. With our girls. I promise,' Wyatt said firmly, and he squeezed her hands. 'Yeah?'

Lucy nodded and forced a smile at him through the pain. 'Yeah. Yeah.'

She closed her eyes during the journey back, not sure if she could face the possibility of returning to 2023 to discover that she had not been successful in setting things in motion with Flynn and their adventures together with the Lifeboat. If she had failed, then once they landed…they would perhaps disappear? Or come back to an empty, locked-up bunker with no one awaiting their return. Because nothing that had happened to them since first stepping foot in Mason Industries would have happened without Flynn and that journal. And this thought terrified Lucy to her very core.

When the Lifeboat grinded to a halt for the very last time, Rufus gave the control panel a ceremonious pat before turning to check on the welfare of his friends.

'It's stopped,' Wyatt said, letting out a huge sigh of relief; the ringing in his head had been getting unbearably torturous.

'Yeah. We're good,' Lucy said, exhaling deeply as she opened her eyes and removed her hands from her head.

'Do you think it worked? With Flynn?' Rufus asked, his forehead creased with worry.

Wyatt caught Lucy's eye. 'Only one way to find out,' he said.

Right on cue, the Lifeboat capsule door slid open. Lucy stepped out of the Lifeboat first and sat on the edge of the capsule door, while Wyatt and Rufus moved to her side. The three of them looked out triumphantly at Jiya, Agent Christopher and Mason, who were looking up at the team in awe with delighted smiles on their faces. And there, over in the distance by the old-fashioned TV set, were little Amy and Flynn, fast asleep on the couch in their pyjamas with their heads resting on each other. Flooded with warmth, Lucy smiled and turned to exchange a look with Wyatt, who smiled lovingly back at her.

It had worked. The girls were here. And they were home for good at last.

* * *

 _~ Spring 2020 ~_

'Wow, you guys were eager, huh? Two kids already and only been married five months!'

Lucy looked up wearily from her hospital bed to smile at the nurse. 'Yeah, we…may have pushed forward the date of the wedding when we found out we were pregnant.'

The nurse laughed. 'I'll leave you two – sorry, you _four_ – to it. I'll be right outside,' she said, and, casting Lucy and Wyatt a fond smile, she left the room.

Wyatt turned to face Lucy, baby Amy cradled tightly in his arms. His face was still tear-streaked, and he was glowing. He had never felt so full or happy; he hadn't stopped smiling since Lucy had given birth to their twin daughters two hours ago.

'Yeah…the right timing for things has…never been one of our strongest suits, has it?' Wyatt murmured, amused, as he swayed Amy slightly in his arms.

'No, you could say that,' Lucy murmured, laughing softly, and she looked up from their other baby girl in her arms to smile lovingly at her husband. 'But I wouldn't have it any other way.'

'Me neither,' Wyatt said, and he sat on the edge of the bed so that he was next to her, the twin sisters close enough to touch in their parents' arms. 'I'm so in love with you. And with our babies.'

'Me too. Can you believe we're actually parents?' Lucy said, her eyes welling up again as she looked down at their two daughters. 'This time last year we'd pretty much only just got used to life outside the bunker.'

Wyatt smiled warmly. 'Yeah. Now look at us. Look what we've made.'

They both gazed down at their daughters in awe. The moment the nurses had carefully placed each baby in Lucy's arms, Lucy had felt herself, as if by magic, become a mother. It had felt as if everything in her life, every moment shared between herself and Wyatt, had led to this moment. It was as if her life hadn't been completely full, until the moment she had felt her daughters in her arms. It was a feeling unlike anything she had ever experienced before, and even better, she had the most wonderful man to share it with. Wyatt had been just as starstruck once the babies had been delivered, and baby Amy had even already grasped Wyatt's little finger, making his heart soar.

'Oh, my God. These are our children, Wyatt,' Lucy breathed, in awe. 'They're ours!'

'Yeah. We get to keep them apparently, I overheard one of the nurses saying-' Wyatt said jokingly, but he was interrupted as Lucy leaned in to kiss him tenderly; when they broke apart, he smiled adoringly at her. 'You're gonna be an incredible mom.'

'And you're gonna be an incredible dad,' Lucy said softly, but then her smile faded. 'Although…we're not that great seeming as we've only named one of them. I feel so bad, I don't want to show any favouritism towards Amy just because we knew what her name would be but-'

'I've got an idea for a name for this little one, actually,' Wyatt said, his lips twitching, as he gestured their baby in Lucy's arms. 'You might like it.'

Lucy tilted her head at him, intrigued. 'Go on.'

'Well…how about 'Flynn'?'

'Flynn?' Lucy said, frowning bewilderedly. 'What's he got to do with-?'

Wyatt laughed softly. 'No, Lucy, I mean…what if we name Amy's sister… 'Flynn'?'

Lucy's lips parted, stunned. 'Flynn?' she said softly. 'Are you serious?'

'Yeah. I am. I think it would be nice,' Wyatt murmured, his tone sincere and gentle.

'Flynn and Amy Logan,' Lucy said thoughtfully, and a smile broke out on her face as she gazed down at their two daughters, yet another tear escaping from her eye. 'I love it. It's perfect.'

And it was. Everything about it was _so_ perfect. It was clear to Lucy and Wyatt, and it was clear to Rufus and Jiya when they visited about an hour later to see the happy new family; Lucy and Wyatt sat side by side on the hospital bed holding their babies. A picture of total bliss. A picture that none of them would ever forget.

* * *

 _~ Present Day ~_

'You did it!' Jiya cried triumphantly.

Lucy began to laugh, suddenly feeling rather overcome with giddiness. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this relieved.

'We did it!' Lucy called back, and she hurried down the steps of the Lifeboat to hug Jiya, Agent Christopher and Mason each in turn.

When she turned around, Wyatt was stood there gazing over at the couch where their children slept. There were tears on his cheeks. Lucy felt her lips tremble as she smiled at him; clearly, he had been hiding from her just how worried he had been too. She walked over to him and wound her arms around his waist from behind.

'Hey. Are you okay?' she whispered to him.

'Yeah. I'm great,' Wyatt murmured, and he turned around to take Lucy in his arms. 'Thank you, Lucy.'

Lucy broke apart from him, though kept her hands on his shoulders. 'For what?'

'For what you just did. For those beautiful girls over there. For this,' Wyatt said, kissing the glistening wedding ring on her finger. 'For us. For everything.'

Lucy smiled lovingly up at him and leaned in to kiss his lips tenderly. 'I love you so much,' she murmured once they'd broken apart.

'I love you too,' Wyatt whispered, kissing her again.

'Mommy? Daddy?'

Lucy and Wyatt broke apart and looked over; Amy and Flynn had woken up and were slowly wandering over towards them beside the Lifeboat, scratching their eyes and yawning.

'You're back!' Amy said gleefully, hurrying over to them.

'B-back?' Lucy said.

'Aunty Denise said you went away!'

Lucy and Wyatt turned to frown at Agent Christopher, confused.

Agent Christopher shrugged innocently. 'They woke up and came looking for you, I didn't know what else to say. They wanted to wait up here till you came back,' she explained.

Amy and Flynn both came to a halt as they took in the epic size of the Lifeboat stood before them. 'Woah!' they both said, impressed.

'Mommy, Daddy, where did you go?' Flynn asked inquisitively.

'Oh, that's a _long_ story,' Lucy said, amused.

'Will you tell it to us?'

'Please!'

'When you're older, yes,' Wyatt replied.

But they both frowned in protest. 'Why not now?'

Lucy and Wyatt exchanged a glance.

'Oh, fine,' Lucy said, smirking. 'But only on one condition – that you both go to sleep after.'

'Okay,' the two girls mumbled, and Jiya giggled in adoration.

'C'mon, we'll take you to bed and we'll tell you the story,' Wyatt said, holding Amy's hand while Lucy held Flynn's.

'Okay!'

'Goodnight, guys,' Lucy said to the others as the four of them walked away towards the corridor.

''Night. See you in the morning,' Rufus called after them, and then he lowered his voice. 'Do they seriously expect Amy and Flynn to understand anything that has happened with the Lifeboat?!'

'No, Rufus. They just want to tell their children a bedtime story before they go to sleep,' Agent Christopher said fondly, watching the happy family go. 'Sometimes there's just nothing more precious in the world than that.'

'That sounds nice,' Jiya said dreamily, her eyes on Lucy and Wyatt as they walked away arm-in-arm.

Rufus smiled at her and took her hand. 'Yeah, it does.'

Wyatt gave the rest of the team a goodnight wave before he and his family disappeared around the corner of the corridor. Lucy rested his head against his shoulder as the four of them walked on, Amy and Flynn somehow yawning and yet also bouncing at the same time.

'So…what shall we do tomorrow?' Wyatt asked Lucy, pressing his lips to her head.

'Well…we say goodbye to this place. Probably for the last time, though you never know. And then we…go back home and start our Christmas holiday with the girls,' Lucy suggested, stroking Flynn's hair as they went along. 'How does that sound?'

Wyatt turned to smile at her. 'That sounds perfect,' he murmured.

And so after a brief yet tender kiss, the happy, relieved couple led the way into Amy and Flynn's made-up room to tell their daughters the story of Lucy and Wyatt.

* * *

 **The End**

 **Thank you for reading :)**


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